Running Away
by ZTX
Summary: PostArrancarArc.It's no good staying in a place you don't belong. Ishida runs into turmoil about having broken his promise to his father to stay away from shinigami. He decides it'd be better if he were gone. But does everyone else feel the same? CHAP.10
1. Unwanted

Running Away

ZTX

3/17/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Hence why this is called a FANfiction.

_I'll never let you find me. _

_I'm leaving you behind with the past, no I won't look back... -Midnight Hour, Running Away  
_

Unwanted 

He felt childish about it, but in is heart he knew it was the only way. This was for the best, even if it didn't seem like it at the time. To leave. It would be hard for him to go without saying goodbye...but he'd broken one too many promises to stay. Actually... one promise to be exact. And THAT was too many. Not like it mattered too much in the long run, anyway. He was certain in time they'd forget him. Perhaps they already had. No one had ever really cared about him anyway... not even Inoue.

ø

_ "Ishida-kun!"_

_Turning at the sound of a familiar, airy voice calling his name, Ishida Uryuu caught sight of an exhausted Inoue Orihime jogging up the steps behind him. He blushed slightly, absently noting that her chest was also getting a workout,_

_"I-Inoue-san... what're you doing here?"_

_ She sighed in relief as she reached the top, stooping over a moment to catch her breath. Then, with a bright smile, she straightened,_

_"I wanted to talk to you!"_

_ -_

_  
"To me? What is it? Is something the matter?"_

_He said as they walked, the trees gently rustling in the breeze._

_"Are you feeling okay, Ishida-kun?"_

_He stopped, gazing into her worried grey eyes for a moment before pushing up his glasses,_

_"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

_ She lowered her head, nervously pressing her fingertips together,_

_"Well... it's just... ever since we came back from the Hollow world...you've been acting...not like yourself. You don't talk to us... your grades are dropping...and even when we're in the Handicrafts club, you can't seem to concentrate and well...I... I was wondering if you were okay."_

_He smiled warmly at her, sighing,_

_"I guess I have been a little stressed lately... but I'm fine. Thank you for worrying, Inoue-san."_

_ She nodded then, returning his smile happily,_

_" Oh, I'm glad! I was worried you might be getting sick or something... maybe a cold or a stomach flu since you always had such a sour look on your face."_

_"O-Oh... I guess I did."_

_ They continued walking, Inoue placing both hands behind her back,_

_"So, what was it?"_

_"What was what?"_

_" The thing that's been keeping you so moody lately? What have you been thinking about?"_

_ He straightened, a strong, deadly voice entering his mind,_

_' Swear to me... that you will never associate with a shinigami ever again.'_

_"O-Oh... I was just... I was just thinking... about what would happen.. if Aizen were to return. He might try to harm you... and I wouldn't want that. I'd never let that happen..."_

_ The honey-haired girl smiled at that, tucking some hair behind her ear,_

_"I see... thank you."_

_Ishida sighed deeply at her smile, pushing up his glasses,_

_'It might have been a lie... but it truly is a concern of mine. What if Aizen were to return? He'd be far too strong for any of us to handle...but it doesn't matter. I'd die before I'd let him hurt you...'_

_ As they walked along the bank of a babbling brook, Inoue paused, lowering her head. Stopping a few feet away, Ishida turned, blinking in confusion,_

_"Inoue-san? What's the matter?"_

_Biting her lip, she raised her head, gazing at him directly,_

_"Can I ask you something, Ishida-kun?"_

_ He nodded, heading back over to her,_

_"Of course. What is it?"_

_"If you were in love with someone and were unsure whether or not they felt the same... would you tell them?"_

_He straightened, mildly shocked by her question. He was sure he knew who she was talking about, but it had taken him by surprise. Coughing, he adjusted his glasses,_

_" I... I don't understand what you mean."_

_ Sighing, Inoue lowered her head, her eyes downcast and sad as she turned to the brook,_

_" I... I'm in love with Kurosaki-kun... but I'm sure he's in love with Kuchiki-san. They've been through so much together and all... I would talk to Tatsuki-chan about this but she doesn't know the story between them... she'd be biased toward my happiness. I don't want to hear what's best for me... I want to hear what's best for me AND Kurosaki-kun. I want to know if telling him would be the best thing for us... or if it would just be safer to stay friends and not tell him anything. And... I figured you would be able to help, Ishida-kun."_

_ A heavy feeling set itself atop of Ishida's heart, and he silenced for a moment._

_"If I were in love with someone..."_

_She looked up at him with teary eyes. Those eyes broke his heart._

_'What makes you think that I wouldn't be biased as well...Inoue-san?'_

_"If I were in love with someone," he repeated, "I wouldn't hesitate. I'd tell them right away...and not let a moment with them slip through my fingers." _

_ At that, she smiled, nodding shortly as she wiped her eyes of tears,_

_"I... I was hoping you'd say that. But I'm so scared to tell him, I don't know what to do..."_

_"Just tell him, Inoue-san. You've got no reason to be scared--"_

_"But what if he--"_

_"If he rejects you, he's a fool."_

_ She straightened, hiccupping softly as he calmly wiped a tear from her pale cheek. He smiled again, withdrawing his hand quickly so that he could push his glasses up,_

_"Inoue-san...you're beautiful and smart...you're the strongest of us all...and Kurosaki would be a fool... if he said no to such a wonderful person."_

_Sniffling, she suddenly wrapped her arms around him, sobbing violently,_

_"Th-thank you... Ishida-kun."_

_  
"You're such a good friend."_

_  
-_

_  
As they reached his apartment complex, Inoue gasped, clasping her hands together,_

_"Is this where you live, Ishida-kun?"_

_"Yeah..."_

_They continued up the walk, Inoue following him all the way up to his door. He lived on the second story of the complex, third door from the stairs. Unlocking the door, he turned to her, sighing,_

_"Would you like to come in for a minute, Inoue-san? I have sometime if you still need to talk--"_

_ "O-oh! No, that's fine! Really! I need to be heading home, anyway."_

_He nodded, closing his door halfway,_

_"That's right it'll be getting dark soon...should I walk you home then?"_

_Smiling, she shook her head, giggling,_

_"No, thanks! I can handle it! If Aizen shows up, I'll just roll up my sleeves and POW!! He won't now what hit him!"_

_ He breathed a laugh. Her crazy notions always made him smile... and worry for her sanity,_

_"You do that..."_

_Nodding, she started down the steps, calling to him as she reached the walkway,_

_"Goodnight, Ishida-kun!"_

_ Nodding, he called back, his voice fading as she turned and started down the road,_

_"Goodnight... Inoue-san."_

_He watched her for a few moments, then, as her silhouette faded from view, silently stepped into his apartment..._

ø

Packing the last of his things into his suitcase, Ishida stood and glanced about the now empty apartment. Sighing, he stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind him. He left behind all that he could not carry on his person...including a love that would never come to be. Not even in his wildest dreams...

"And good-bye."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I didn't think I'd write another BLEACH fanfiction, but well, here it is! lol It's also my first multi-chapter BLEACH fiction too... which scares the crap out of me. I don't want to get annoyed by it like I did with my KH fictions. I did try to start up again on the KH one, but it was like pulling teeth, so I think I'm going o have to put it on hiatus until further notice. Maybe forever... probably forever... that makes me sad. I even forgot it's plot! Oh well. shrugs Anywho, R&R please! I hope they're not OC...**


	2. Rain

Rain

" Oh no... it's raining! And I didn't bring an umbrella today..."

Inoue sighed as she gazed out of the windows of Karakura High,

_' Well, that shouldn't be a problem...no. It's not a problem at all. Today is the day. Rain or shine, I'm going to tell Kurosaki-kun that I--'_

"GOOD MORNING, 'HIME!"

The honey-haired girl gasped as a pair of feminine arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She glanced back, smiling a little to see Chizuru's head resting on her shoulder,

"O-Oh hi, Chizuru! When did you get here?"

The red head stepped back and grinned, Inoue turning to face her,

"Just a few minutes ago. You know..."

She pushed the girl up against the wall, a nearly evil smirk on her face,

"Since Tatsuki's out of town...we can finally have some time to ourselves..."

She then proceeded to make kissy-face lips at the girl, and was surprised when she was suddenly pushed away,

"O-Orihime?"

Inoue gulped as he walked through the door. It was Ichigo. He was here. Taking a deep breath, she started over to him, a multitude of scenarios running through her mind,

_'Kurosaki-kun...there's something I want to tell you. I've been thinking about this for a long time... and I... I can't help it anymore. I can't change how I feel. I lo--'_

"IIIIICHIGOOOO!"

Inoue stopped short as a blur known as Asano rushed past her, nearly knocking her over. The wild boy then smashed straight into one of Ichigo's fists. The bright-haired boy walked on past in annoyance,

"I told you not to do that shit anymore."

He then stepped over to Inoue, sighing,

"You okay, Inoue?"

She glanced up at him, turning bright red as she nodded,

"Y-yeah! I'm okay..."

Nervously, she dusted off her skirt, swallowing hard,

"K-Kurosaki-kun... can I talk to you a minute?"

Ichigo nodded, scratching his head as he set his stuff down on his desk,

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Inoue lowered her head, peeking glances up at him,

"Well, I... I...I just...there's something...I..."

"Good morning, class!"

They both turned at the sound of their teacher, Ochi Misato's, voice as she promptly stepped on Asano to get into the room. Asano let out a wail and she glanced down, laughing a little,

"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there."

Shrugging, Ochi continued on to her podium, letting out an exasperated sigh,

"Oh, well. Take your seats everyone."

Ichigo glanced down at Inoue, proceeding to sit down,

"We can talk after class okay, Inoue?"

Hesitantly, she nodded and headed to her desk by the window. Ochi sighed, thumbing through her roll book in annoyance,

"Now, let's see...who's missing today?"

She scanned the room, checking names as she went,

"Arisawa...Ogawa...Natsui..."

Inoue glanced nervously over at Ichigo, sighing inwardly,

_'This is bad... by the time class is over I might lose my nerve... No! I can't do that! I have nothing to be afraid of! Ishida-kun said so--'_

"Huh? What's this? Ishida's gone today as well? Jeez if that punk doesn't get his act together he'll never make it out of high school. Oh well, his loss..."

_"Did she just say 'His loss'?"_

_"I think she called him a punk..."_

_"Ha, that's a funny thought."_

Inoue gasped, glancing over at Ishida's desk. Sure enough, it was empty.

_'Ishida-kun isn't here today? I wonder if he is getting sick... or maybe he stayed home because he doesn't want to get wet. I hope he's okay... I'm sure he is.'_

ø

Soaked from head to toe, he stepped into the subway car, taking a seat by the door. The rain was surprisingly cold for this time of the year... not that he could really feel it. The overwhelming numbness in his limbs was all he could feel at this point. Leaning back, he gazed blankly at the ceiling of the car. He would never see this town again... he would never see his friends again. He would never see Inoue...

Gulping hard, he took off his glasses and wiped them of fog,

_'It doesn't matter anymore. I don't belong here. This town...full of shingami...is somewhere I can't be. It doesn't matter...It doesn't...'_

Leaving his glasses on his lap, he buried his face in his hands and shuddered as the train began moving. His face burned... as did the tears streaming down his cheeks,

_'It doesn't matter anymore...It doesn't matter...'_

**_I don't matter._**

ø

Inoue sighed as she packed up her briefcase, glancing out the window. The sun, had it been shining this day, would be setting now. But it wasn't. It was nothing but grey skies and rumbling thunder outside. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the row and out of the classroom, jogging down the hall,

_'Kurosaki-kun should be outside waiting for me...I should hurry.'_

As she stepped outside, she smiled, spotting him by the street. He had a red umbrella in hand, and his blue-and-white bag slung over his shoulder. He turned as she walked up, smiling warmly at her,

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?"

The honey-haired girl gasped, her cheeks turning a soft pink colour,

"Well, yes... you see... I-I've been needing to...well...there's something I...I need to tell you..."

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Poking her fingers together, she shook her head,

"No... it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

Biting her lip, she lowered her head, silencing a moment. Her face...no, her entire body was burning. This was harder than Ishida-kun had made it sound.

_'Just do it, Inoue...you've got nothing to lose...'_

"Kurosaki-kun... I..."

_'Say it...'_

"I..."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, refusing to bring her head up,

"I love you!"

As if acting against her own will, she brought her gaze up to meet his, her heart beginning to crack at the sight of his face. He was obviously taken aback by her words. Beginning to panic, she swallowed hard, stuttering,

"I-I love you...ever since we met last school year...I...I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I tried hard not to...but I couldn't stop myself...it just happened...I...I love you."

There was a long silence between them, the only sound being that of the pattering rain on Ichigo's umbrella. It seemed like it lasted forever, and Inoue's was sure by this point her face was melting off.

"I'm sorry."

She gasped, her eyes beginning to well up with tears as she turned her gaze to the orange-haired boy. He looked sad, almost guilty as he turned his gaze away from her,

"I don't--"

"No, _I'M_ sorry..."

He straightened, glancing down at her in surprise. Her shoulders were shuddering violently, and her voice trembled as she continued,

"I'm so silly...I knew Kuchiki-san..."

The girl then looked up at him, forcing a painful smile as she clonked herself on the head,

"So stupid! So stupid, huh? I know that...I don't know what I was thinking..."

"Inoue--"

"Kurosaki-kun, please... just forget I said anything. I'm sorry..."

She then turned away from him, running as fast as she could down the street. Ichigo straightened, reaching for her as she ran,

"Inoue! Wait a minute! Come back!"

"Ichigo..."

He turned then, spotting a diminutive, dark-haired female behind him,

"Let her go."

He blinked, surprised by her sudden appearance,

"Rukia..."

ø

She ran as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face as the cold rains of March pelted against her. She splashed through deep puddles as she went, uncaring about how wet her clothes became.

_'"Inoue--"'_

_'"So stupid! So stupid, huh? I know that... I don't know what I was thinking..."'_

_' Tatsuki-chan... I wish you were here... I need you... I need someone... someone to tell me it'll all be okay!'_

_'"If he rejects you, he's a fool!"'_

She stopped in her tracks, glancing to the apartment complex beside her. She hadn't realised it, but she'd run all the way here... to him. To Ishida-kun. She started up the walk, her eyes streaming with tears,

_'"Inoue-san..."'_

She headed up the steps, hiccupping softly,

_"...you're beautiful and smart...you're the strongest of us all..."_

Reaching his door, she raised her hand, hesitating to knock,

_'"and Kurosaki would be a fool..."'_

Gulping, she wiped away her tears and knocked softly on the door, gasping as it slowly creaked open,

_'"...if he said no to such a wonderful person."'_

Inoue gasped as she peeked inside, pushing the door open all the way. No one was inside. Stepping through the door way, she hiccuped again, glancing about the tiny apartment. The first thing she noticed was the grey table by the door. On it was a sewing machine, and an empty basket labeled 'sewing supplies'. As she walked in further, she glanced to her left to see his bed. A jade-coloured sheet adorned with embroidered crosses served as a blanket. There were no pillows on it, and it looked as though it hadn't even been slept in. Glancing to her right, was his desk. A dark blue swivel chair served as his desk chair, and a goose neck lamp served as his reading lamp. There were books neatly aligned along the left corner of the desktop. This was were he did his homework.

It was then that the little slip of paper caught her eye. She gasped, lifting it carefully from it's spot with trembling hands. She hiccupped again as she opened it, gasping. Only one word was written. **Goodbye**.

Bringing the little slip of paper to her heart, she squeezed her eyes shut, running for the door,

_'I have to tell them...I have to tell Kurosaki-kun...'_

ø

_'Ishida-kun...'_

He stepped off of the train, not even bothering to look up as he followed the crowd toward the exit. He wasn't even sure where he'd gotten off... but he knew it was the farthest stop from Karakura Town. If he needed to... he'd go farther. But this would do for now.

_'...he may be hurt...'_

Starting up the steps to the street, he lowered his head, his eyes drooped in shame.

_'Oh, Ishida-kun...where are you!?'_

Ishida stopped as he reached the top, turning his gaze toward the sky as the crowd behind him pushed on past. Rain pattered lightly on his glasses, and he sighed deeply,

"No matter where I go..."

**_"It's always raining."_**


	3. Gone

Gone

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo and Rukia turned as they walked, the former straightening in surprise as he fixed his eyes on the exhausted girl running toward them,

"I-Inoue?"

She came to halt as she reached them, gasping for air as she leaned over. Scratching his neck, he let out a sigh, his bangs dripping with rain water,

"Listen, Inoue... about earlier. I didn't mean to--"

"I don't care about that!"

She stood up straight, still gasping as she handed him the soaked piece of paper. His eyebrow lifted as he read it,

"Goodbye?"

"I found it in Ishida-kun's apartment!"

They both looked to her, eyes widening as she continued,

"It was on his desk! All of his things were still there, but everything was neat and tidy as if it hadn't been touched! It reminded me of when Aizen--"

They all stopped, Ichigo looking immediately to Rukia,

"You don't think it could've been..."

Rukia looked to Inoue, eyes stern and serious,

"Take us there, Inoue-san."

ø

Ishida sighed, gazing at the dark grey clouds above him,

"No matter where I go...it's always raining."

He closed his eyes then, taking in the numbness he felt within his heart. This was how it would be from now on. This was how it would have to be...

"Watch out!"

Ishida gasped, his eyes shooting open as something, or someone, bumped into him from behind. He stumbled quickly regaining his balance as he glanced up to see some children running by. The littlest one lagged behind a little, shouting to Ishida as he ran past,

"Sawwy, mistah!!"

He smiled a little at that, pushing up his glasses as he turned, starting down the road,

"Now to find an inn..."

A sudden commotion behind him caused him to turn, and his eyes widened. The little boy that had just called to him had run right out into the middle of traffic. A young woman stood at the curb, calling to him frantically,

"YURI!!"

She began to step out into the road. Ishida narrowed his eyes. Dropping his suitcase, he sped over to the woman first, shoving her back away from the road. She stumbled backward and fell, unaware of what had even happened.

The sound of screeching tires filled his ears as he rushed out to the boy. By this time, both woman and boy were shrieking. Wrapping his arms around the boy, he leapt out of the way of the speeding semi that threatened to kill them both. The woman shrieked as the truck screeched to a halt, stopping over the spot where the boy would've been,

"YURI!! YURI!!!"

She sobbed violently. The truck sputtered to a start again, and she glanced up, tears streaming down her fair cheeks. As it passed, she stood, spotting them across the road. Letting the sobbing boy down, Ishida stood and turned, the boy running back to his mother,

"MAMA!!"

Gasping for joy, she knelt down and embraced him, her tears soaking into his shirt like the rain,

"Oh, Yuri! I'm so glad... I'm so glad...!"

Ishida smiled slightly at the touching scene, then crossed the street, avoiding the mother and son as he walked to his suitcase.

"Wait!"

Picking up his bag, he turned to the woman, silent. She smiled at him,

"How? How did you do that?"

"I'm a fast runner."

She laughed a little, hugging the boy tighter as she walked over to him,

"What's your name?"

Pushing up his glasses, he sighed,

"Ishida Uryuu."

"Well, thank you, Uryuu-kun. My name is Obata Ume. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask."

"Could you possibly direct me to the nearest inn?"

Obata straightened, smiling slightly,

"Well, you don't waste anytime, do you? An inn, you say?"

Ishida nodded, again wiping the fog from his glasses,

"Yes. I'm in need a place to stay--"

"Then you can stay with us!"

Placing his glasses back on, he blinked, surprised,

"Wh-What?"

Obata smiled, adjusting Yuri on her hip,

"You can stay with us, Uryuu-kun. Think of it as my way of repaying you--"

"I couldn't possibly do that."

"And why not?"

Sighing, he pushed up his glasses and turned away,

"I'd only be a burden. Thank you anyway... for your kindness--"

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

She grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him on down the road as she walked. He yelped, his glasses sliding down his nose as he glanced back at her,

"O-Obata-san! What're you--?"

"You saved my son's life, Uryuu-kun. I'm going to repay your kindness whether you like it or not!"

"I-I see..."

ø

They entered the dark apartment with caution, Ichigo frowning as he looked around,

"You're right. This place_ is _tidy."

Promptly elbowing him in the side, Rukia walked forward, fists clenched at her sides,

"That's not what we're here for, you idiot."

She then turned to Inoue, who again seemed as if she were about to cry,

"Now, Inoue-san... where did you find the note?"

The honey-haired girl nodded, setting it back down on his desk,

"Right here."

Nodding, Rukia stepped up to the desk, and after a moment or two of careful thought, pulled open the top drawer. It was empty. Straightening, she turned to Ichigo,

"Ichigo, check his dresser."

Ichigo nodded, heading past them to the other side of the room. He opened the top drawer, turning back to Rukia,

"There's nothing in it."

Inoue straightened, Rukia turning to her next,

"Inoue-san... When was the last time you saw him?"

Inoue thought a moment, pressing one finger to her lip,

"Well...I talked to him yesterday. I walked him home from school, which might seem a little strange, since it's usually _the boy _who walks _the girl _home, but--"

"Th-that's good enough, Inoue."

Rukia again silenced, thinking for a moment. Inoue lowered her head, sighing deeply,

"He was acting so strangely... I asked him what was wrong, but... he said he was fine. I don't think he was though..."

"Of course he wasn't... Ishida never likes to show weakness."

The petite shinigami folded her arms, frowning deeply,

"Perhaps...this is all his own doing--"

"Wait a minute, Rukia. Just what are you saying? Are you saying he ranaway?"

Sighing, she turned to Ichigo with a serious look,

"It is a possibility. Inoue-san said he'd been acting strange...not to mention we come here to find his clothing gone and his things untouched--"

"But that doesn't mean he'd run away," Inoue began, her voice wavering,

"Ishida-kun would never leave without saying goodbye--"

Rukia handed her the drenched paper, sighing deeply,

"He did, Inoue-san..."

Taking it in her hand, Inoue gazed at the soggy paper in her hand, the ink smearing and spreading across it's fibers,

"Ishida-kun...ranaway? But why?"

They all silenced, a voice from the doorway stirring them,

"I know why."

They all turned, Ichigo speaking first,

"Chad? What--"

"Don't you remember, Ichigo? When we first entered Hueco Mundo?"

Ichigo blinked, scratching his head in thought,

"You mean that promise thing?"

Chad nodded,

"I saw Ishida this morning while heading to school..."

--ø--

_"He seemed upset about something..."_

_Glancing over, Chad spotted the bespectacled boy heading in the opposite direction as him. He stopped frowning,_

_"Ishida."_

_The boy glanced up at him, dark circles under his eyes. He was soaked from head to toe, water dripping from his glossy, dark hair,_

_"Oh...Sado-kun. Hello."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_Raising a single finger, the dark-skinned boy pointed down the road,_

_"School is **that** way."_

_Taken aback, Ishida snapped at first,_

_"I know that!! I was just..."_

_He stopped shortly, swallowing_ _hard,_

_"I...have to go. Excuse me..."_

_Chad turned as the boy bolted away, watching him shrink as ran further down the road. There was a suitcase in his hand..._

--ø--

"And then he ran away."

Ichigo's face soured a bit, groaning deeply,

"Wow. Instead of going through all these deductions and whatnot we could've just asked Chad instead. I bet you feel special now, huh, Ruki--A!"

She elbowed him again, her eyebrow twitching in anger,

"Shut up. At least we now know what's going on."

"What promise did Ishida-kun make, Kurosaki-kun?"

He paused, lowering his head in silence. Chad spoke for him...surprisingly,

"Ishida promised his father that he would never associate with a shinigami ever again."

Rukia nodded, sitting herself down on the now-vacant bed,

"And he must've broken that promise by fighting alongside us in Hueco Mundo."

"I know Ishida's a real hard ass about somethings," Ichigo interjected, scratching his ear with his pinky,

"But guilt over a promise to a man he doesn't even like--"

"Like him or not...it's still a promise, Kurosaki-kun."

They all looked to the honey-haired girl, Ichigo straightening,

"Inoue..."

She lowered her head, wringing her hands together nervously,

"Ishida-kun...doesn't like to break promises. It doesn't matter who he's made them to..."

Raising her arms, she clawed at her shirt, hugging herself tightly,

"And I'm the one...I'm the reason he disobeyed his father's wishes...This is all my fault--"

"No, Inoue-san."

She glanced over at Rukia, the petite shinigami scowling,

"Don't blame yourself for this. It was his choice to leave. You played no part in that."

The girl shook her head, her eyes welling with tears,

"If I had never been caught this would never have happened! It's my fault that Ishida-kun broke his promise!"

"I think he would've broken it anyway, Inoue."

They all turned to Ichigo, Inoue batting at her tears. The bright-haired boy folded his arms,

"That's just the kind of guy he is. I mean... we go to the same school. He'd never be able to stay away from us...especially not you."

The grey-eyed girl blinked, poking at her cheek,

"Why?"

At that Ichigo stopped, shooting her an incredulous stare. He then coughed, shaking his head,

"Never mind. Anyway, it's not your fault, you got it? Ishida would've left whether you'd been caught or not."

"How do you know?"

"It's just a feeling I got."

He then sighed, turning toward the door,

"So... how about we stop fooling around up here and go find him. Somebody's gonna have to drag his sorry ass back here. Figure it might as well be us, right?"

Inoue nodded, wiping her tears away with a giggle,

"Y-yeah! You're right!"

She then raised a fist, jogging toward the door,

"We'll find Ishida-kun and drag him all the way back if we have to! No matter how much he screams! Yeah!"

The three of them paused a minute, Rukia sighing,

"Well. That was simple."

Ichigo folded his arms,

"It scares me sometimes how easily she can be persuaded."

Chad nodded,

"Yeah."

"Come on everyone!! Let's go find Ishida-kun!!"

She called cheerfully from outside. Chad headed out first, Inoue greeting him happily,

"You're coming too, Sado-kun?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, how wonderful!! I didn't think you would since you and Ishida-kun don't get along much..."

Ichigo scratched his head, sighing deeply as he started for the door,

"Well, I guess it's safe to say we're not going to school tomorrow. That's just great... I've already got low enough grades as it is--"

"Ichigo."

Rukia stood from the bed as he turned, a stern look on her face,

"You know, don't you? Why he really left..."

The boy shrugged, scratching his neck casually,

"How the hell should I know? Seriously, Rukia. I know as much as the next guy--"

"Ishida loves her."

He stopped, lowering his hand to his side,

"Yeah."

"Is that why you told Inoue you didn't feel the same about her?"

"No! I just don't feel that way about her, okay? I don't want her feelings hurt."

The petite shinigami grinned then, leaning in close to him,

"Then who _do_ you love, _Ichigo_?"

The boy blushed a bright red, and he stuttered, drawing away from her,

"L-Like hell it would be you!"

"I never said it was, _Ichigo_."

"S-Shut up! C'mon, let's go before Inoue sends in the hounds."

He then marched out the door, Rukia snickering behind him as she followed.

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's a little late. I've been struggling with school. My guidance counselor decided to kindly tell me I'm flunking my senior year six weeks before school ends! (Thanks a lot, you stupid mofo...-growls-)**

**Anywho, this chapter's a little 'happier' I guess. Cause I'm in a better mood. Expect more drama by May 21! (When I don't graduate. --;) R&R please:3**


	4. Burden

Burden

"Well, here it is!"

Ume exclaimed, unlocking the door to a shabby little apt. Theirs' was on the 6th floor of the complex and from that height, one could see almost see over the city's skyline. As she opened the door, Yuri ran inside giggling loudly. She let Ishida in next, sighing as she shut the door behind her,

"Sorry about the mess. I haven't had the chance to clean, yet."

Ishida glanced around with a twitching eyebrow. The space was thoroughly untidy. Pots and pans rose to unreasonable heights in the sink. Dust visibly caked itself on the counters, table, and television. It was pointless to take his shoes off as dirt, among other entities, had embedded itself in the carpet. This place was a mess...to put it nicely. He turned to Ume, pushing up his glasses,

"Obata-san, would you mind if I helped you clean up? It's the least I can do to repay you for--"

"Don't be silly, Uryuu-kun! You're a guest here. I can handle the mess!"

"Are you sure? I don't mind--"

"I said, 'No'. I can handle it myself, okay?"

She growled, scowling in annoyance. The bespectacled boy nodded, gulping harshly,

"All right...if you say so."

The dark-haired woman then sighed, sitting down in the recliner nearby,

"I'm sorry...I'm just so tired of everyone..."

Pausing, she bit her lip, quickly offering him a smile,

"You know what? Forget I said anything. I'll go get some sheets and make up the couch for you. You just make yourself at home, Uryuu-kun."

He watched her silently as she made her way into the hall, disappearing into another room. Then sighing, he headed across the room to the window. It was covered in dirt as well. Gritting his teeth, he forced the window up, coughing as dirt and dust exploded into the air around him. Once it had cleared, he gazed out at the deep reds and purples of the sunset, the slight breeze battering his raven hair,

_'I wonder it they've even noticed yet...'_

ø

_'...that I'm no longer there.'_

"Ooh! What's this, Ichigo?

Rukia exclaimed, stopping abruptly at the contraption before her. Ichigo groaned, placing both hands on her shoulders as he pushed her through it,

"It's called a turnstile. You walk through it like this."

" I see. Interesting..."

After walking only a few feet away from it, she turned, and ran back to it, Ichigo calling after her,

"Rukia! What the hell are you doing?! We'll miss the train if you don't get your ass back here!"

Inoue sighed deeply, lowering her head. She was completely oblivious to the episode of Rukia's Turnstile Escapade which was airing right behind her. Instead, her thoughts dwelled deeply on that day... his last day among them...

_-ø-_

_"Wow, Orihime! 3rd place again!"_

_Tatsuki exclaimed, patting the girl on the head. Inoue smiled, a fevered blush crossing her cheeks as a voice came from behind her,_

_"Say, where'd I rank, Tatsuki?"_

_"Last as usual, loser."_

_"Oh really? If I remember right I scored higher than__** you**__."_

_"Sh-shut up! You're such a liar!"_

_Inoue grinned then, pointing to the board,_

_"You're ranked 23 like last time, Kurosaki-kun! Sado-kun is 18, like last time and Ishida-kun is--"_

_"Two."_

_She gasped, glancing back at the orange-haired boy,_

_"What?"_

_Tatsuki raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as Ichigo pointed to it,_

_"Oh, wow... you're right. Ishida __**is**__ in 2nd place."_

_Inoue glanced back up at the board gasping softly as others began to gather. Sure enough, Ishida had dropped to the 2nd highest ranked in their class. Whispers from behind her began to worry her, and she frowned, unable to stop staring at it._

_**"Look at that! He really DID fall out of 1st place!"**_

_**"Whoa! How did THAT happen?"**_

_**"I dunno... he's always been first hasn't he?"**_

_**"Yeah..."**_

_**"Do you think he'll kill himself?"**_

_**"Over a rank?"**_

_**"I dunno... Usually a drop in grades is a sign of depression--"**_

_**"Well, it doesn't mean he'd kill himself--"**_

_**"This is four-eyes we're talking about. His top priority is grades."**_

_**"True... oh man. That's crazy."**_

_As they walked back to class, Inoue lingered, still gazing at it,_

_"Ishida-kun... kill himself?"_

_As if on cue, she spotted the boy out of the corner of her eye, gasping softly. His head was bowed, so low that she couldn't see his eyes. She smiled at him as he walked past, waving slightly,_

_"Good morning, Ishida-kun!"_

_He kept walking. She gasped, silently watching as he stepped inside classroom. Placing a hand to her heart, she lowered her head, biting her lip,_

_'Ishida-kun...'_

_-ø-_

"Inoue?"

The honey-haired girl gasped, glancing up with a faint blush of embarassment as she spotted Ichigo standing before her. He had the back collar of Rukia's dress clenched in his right hand, his other on his hip,

"You alright?"

She nodded sharply, making sure to wipe away any tears she might have unknowingly shed,

"Y-Yes! I'm just fine, Kurosaki-kun! Guess I was just staring at the ceiling lights for too long!"

She nervously scratched the back of her head, Rukia frowning up at him,

"She wasn't even looking at the ceiling."

"I know. Let's just give it to her, though... okay?"

Forcing a smile, Inoue brought up a single fist, and rested her other hand on her bicep,

"All right!! Let's go everyone!!"

Then, with a determined face that looked more like that of a puffer fish, she marched toward the closest subway car, Ichigo and Rukia staring blankly after her. Ichigo blinked,

"Sometimes I wonder if she's really _all _there."

"Me too."

"Kuchiki-san! Kurosaki-kun! Hurry up! The train's leaving!!"

"Right!!"

They started heading toward the car, Ichigo glancing back at Rukia,

"Don't even think about going back to the turnstile."

The raven-haired shinigami whirled around, wearing a smile so sugary that Ichigo thought his teeth might rot and fall out,

"Oh, would I ever do a silly thing like that?"

"_Yes_."

SLAM.

The orange-haired boy rubbed his head painfully as Rukia marched past him, scowling,

"Let's go, idiot."

"Y-yeah sure...of course."

ø

"Can't sleep?"

Ishida glanced up from his spot on the couch to see Ume standing in the door way of her room. She wore a peach night gown, one that hung down very low on her, he noticed. Blushing, he coughed, pushing up his glasses,

"Yes. I-I mean, no, I can't..."

Laughing softly, she put on a white robe and tied it up, walking over to the chair nearest him,

"Better?"

He raised an eyebrow at her as she sat down,

"What?"

"Nothing, nevermind."

They were both silent for a moment, and Ume, clearing her throat, looked to him curiously,

"So, what brings you here, Uryuu-kun?"

The boy frowned, turned back to what he'd been doing,

"What do you mean?"

"What brings you here? You know... to this town?"

"O-Oh... well... I'm just passing through."

"Oh, really? Where are you headed?"

He paused, biting his lip.

_As far from them as I can go..._

He didn't even realise he'd said anything until he looked up at Ume. The woman had an expression of deep concern on her face. Gulping harshly, he pushed up on his glasses again, clearing his throat,

"N-Nevermind. Please don't worry about it, Obata-san."

They sat in silence for awhile. Ume raised an eyebrow, leaning forward some,

"What are you making?"

Ishida glanced up at her, his voice squeaking some as he caught a glimpse down her shirt,

"N-Nothing!"

Ume caught the blush on his face and gasped, pulling her robe up,

"Geez! I'm so sorry, Uryuu-kun!"

Quickly, she stood, scratching her head nervously,

"Well, I-I guess I should just head onto bed now... before I traumatise you anymore, huh?"

She hurried to her door, stopping a moment and turning back to him,

"Get some sleep, though, Uryuu-kun. You look as though you really need it."

He nodded silently, keeping his eyes focused on the material in his lap. As soon as she shut the door, he sighed deeply, leaning forward. Burying his face in his hands, he closed his eyes.

_'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea afterall...'_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I felt I had to get something posted. Anywho, I's gradiated!! WOO! Go me! Didn't think that would happen. I was missing half a credit and all. And apparently I was Cum Laude at that! shrug Yays! N E Way, hopefully now there won't be anymore long pauses. R&R please!!**


	5. Thoughtful

Thoughtful

"Are you sure, Uryuu-kun?"

Ishida nodded shortly, pushing up his glasses,

"Yes. There's a train heading to Osaka coming in around 12:00."

The woman sighed, folding her arms with a slight frown,

"And I suppose there's no way I can talk you out of taking it."

"No. There's not."

She lowered her head, sighing deeply,

"Uryuu-kun... if there's something the matter let me help. You don't have to run from it."

He straightened, silent for a moment.

_'"You must promise me that you'll never associate with another shinigami ever again."'_

"There's no way you can help me."

Ume straightened, opening her mouth to protest just as little Yuri came screaming into the room,

"Mama!"

He giggled, wrapping his arms around her legs. He wore a little red and white school uniform, and a tiny red and white hat upon his head. Giggling, her looked to her, eyes sparkling brightly,

"I'm ready to go now, Mama!!"

She glanced down at the boy, silent. The boy frowned,

"Mama? What's wrong?"

"It's all right, Obata-san."

She looked back to Ishida, concern in her eyes as he continued,

"Please, don't worry about it."

Sighing, she nodded, turning away from him,

"Well, I'll be taking Yuri to school now... and then I'm off to work. When I get back, you'll probably be gone... so good-bye, Uryuu-kun. Please, take care of yourself."

He nodded, offering a small smile as she lead the small boy out the door,

"Good-bye, Obata-san. And thank you."

Closing the door quietly behind her, she snuck one last glance at the boy, his form switching into that of another. This boy had short brown hair and bright green eyes. He wore a strange outfit... one that resembled a samurai ensemble.

_'Hayato...'_

Ishida sighed as the door finally closed, and took a deep breath, turning back to the messy room. Pushing up his glasses, he walked over to the sofa, where his suitcase lay.

ø

"Okay...so. How do we find him?"

Ichigo frowned as they came to their first stop. The group marched up the stairs, Rukia sighing as they reached the street,

"How else do you think, you idiot? We look."

"But we don't even know where to start."

"The park!"

They both turned to Inoue, who was beaming. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, blinking at her in confusion,

"The park? Why there?"

She blinked innocently back,

"Why not?"

After a few minutes of silence, he shrugged, scratching his head,

"The park it is then."

"Yay!" Inoue cheered, raising her fist in the air. She then stopped, pressing a finger to her lips,

"Um...where _is _the park, anyway?"

"Didn't you get a map from the station!?"

"Oh, that's what I forgot!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"

"It's alright, Inoue. Guess we should just start walking and see what we find..."

_--2 hours later--_

"Well, what do you know? After nearly 2 hours of walking it turns out the subway is only 5 minutes away from the park."

Inoue laughed, nervously scratching her head as the others glared at her,

"Heh heh... yeah... isn't that funny?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure walking. They were very slender and had a thatch of dark hair on their head. They appeared to be wearing a pair of glasses...and held a suitcase in their firm grasp. She gasped, barreling across the street toward them,

"Ishida-kun!!"

Cars screeched to a halt as she ran out into the road, Rukia and Ichigo calling after her,

"Inoue!!"

Inoue kept her eyes on the person,

_'"Would you like to come in for a minute, Inoue-san? I have sometime if you still need to talk--"'_

_'"O-oh! No, that's fine! Really! I need to be heading home, anyway."'_

_'"That's right it'll be getting dark soon...should I walk you home then?"'_

She drew closer, her eyes filling with tears,

_'Ishida-kun...'_

She could see his apartment clearly in her head, him standing by the doorway,

_'"Goodnight, Ishida-kun!"'_

He smiled; a smile traced with sadness,

_'"Goodnight... Inoue-san."'_

"Ishida-kun!"

Grabbing them by the arm, she spun the around, gasping softly. The person straightened, blinking at her in surprise,

"Orihime?"

Inoue blinked back, mildly embarrassed,

"Tatsuki-chan...!"

ø

"He ran away?"

Inoue nodded as they all sat around in the room. Tatsuki's parents had made reservations for her at a hotel nearby, and the young girl offered to let them stay there for the night. Tatsuki scratched her ear, slouching back on the bed,

"Wow... can't say I'm surprised, though. I knew the stress of that 2nd rank would get to him sooner or later."

"Yeah, he's a tight ass about his grades, isn't he?"

Ichigo forced a laugh. Rukia closed her eyes, sighing as she casually thwapped him in the back of his head. He turned to her, scowling as she smiled.

Inoue sighed, lowering her head,

"Tatsuki-chan...I..."

Tatsuki frowned, raising an eyebrow at the girl,

"Hmm? What is it, Orihime?"

The honey-haired girl shook her head, turning her gaze to the window,

"It's nothing..."

Tatsuki frowned, her eyes widening at the sound of a sudden, loud growl. Inoue bit her lip, beginning to laugh nervously,

"G-Guess it's been awhile since I ate last..."

The raven-haired girl laughed and stood up, walking over to a table toward the door,

"I'll order something in, then. What are you guys in the mood for?"

Ichigo stood, motioning to Rukia as he turned to the girl,

"Actually, Tatsuki, how about Rukia and I go and get something. Look around town a bit."

"I'll go too."

Chad said, standing up behind them. The three of them headed out the door before the girl could object,

"O-Okay...?"

ø

"So, where do you think he'd be?"

Ichigo sighed, glancing around. They were heading down Main Street, toward the dining area of town. Rukia folded her arms, shaking her head,

"Not sure... this cities pretty big. It might take a few days to find him."

"A sewing shop."

They both glanced back at the tall, tanned boy behind them, blinking in unison. Chad pointed at a store across the street, his voice as blank as ever,

"Over there."

Ichigo followed the boy's finger, smacking his palm as he spotted it,

"That's right! A sewing shop! Why didn't we think of it before?"

They jogged across the road, heading inside. A bell jingled softly as they opened the door, and Rukia gasped, glancing upward at the ceiling. Ichigo marched further in, placing his fists on his hips as he glanced around,

"All right, now where is he?"

"Ichigo."

"Not now, Chad. I'm busy."

The orange-haired boy marched off, hands buried in his pockets. Chad sighed, turning back to the doorway. There was Rukia, pushing the door open and shutting it repeatedly. Each time the bell went off, she gasped, intrigued. He watched her a few minutes, sighing as she kept shutting customers out of the store,

"Uh... Kuchiki-san?"

"Yeah?"

She replied innocently, too enthralled with the bell mechanism to look back at him.

"You're causing a line."

Behind her, a line of angry female customers was beginning to form, from small children to old ladies. Rukia shrugged, continuing about her business,

"That's nice."

ø

"Orihime?"

Tatsuki frowned as she came back into the room. The girl was now standing out on the balcony, the breeze blowing softly through her long, honey-coloured locks. Stepping out beside her, Tatsuki raised an eyebrow,

"What are you doin' out here?"

Inoue jumped at he sound of the girl's voice, turning to her in surprise. The raven-haired girl gasped, noting the tears in her eyes,

"Orihime, what is it? What's wrong?"

The girl shook her head, wiping away her tears with a laugh,

"O-Oh! It's nothing! I was just looking at the sunset! Hasn't it ever just made you wanna cry?"

Tatsuki blinked at her, folding her arms with an annoyed sigh,

"What's wrong?"

Inoue lowered her head, sighing softly,

"Tatsuki-chan...what if Ishida-kun never comes back? What if we don't find him...?"

She jumped when she suddenly heard the sound of laughter, turning to Tatsuki with a pout,

"What?? What's so funny?"

Tatsuki coughed, wiping her eyes as she looked to the girl,

"THAT'S what you're so upset about!?"

Inoue sniffled, bursting into tears,

"It's not funny! I'm really worried!!"

Tatsuki snickered, patting the sobbing girl on the back,

"It's because you're so funny, Orihime!"

"How am I funny?"

"Because. I heard about what happened between you and Ichigo."

Straightening, Inoue hiccuped softly,

"You...you did?"

Tatsuki nodded, turning to look at the beautiful oranges and purples of the sky,

"Yeah. Chizuru called me. She saw the whole thing. She said you ran away crying."

The honey-haired girl blushed, lowering her head,

"W-Well, I..."

Patting her on the head, Tatsuki smiled warmly at her,

"I thought it was funny. Here you've been ranting on and on about the guy for God knows how long, and after he breaks your heart all you can think about is Ishida."

Inoue pouted, clenching her fists lightly,

"What? Am I not supposed to worry about Ishida-kun!?"

"No, no! I didn't say that, Orihime! I was just saying..."

The two of them were silent for a moment, Tatsuki giggling after a few moments,

"Hey, Orihime. Do you remember when we first met?"

The honey-haired girl nodded,

"Yeah. You scared off those mean girls who were cutting my hair."

Nodding, Tatsuki snapped her fingers, a huge grin on her face,

"You remember that cute boy that sat in the front of the class? You talked about him for hours! What was his name again? Izumi...Ichiba...Isshi--"

Inoue giggled, shaking her head furiously as she wiped her eyes,

"No, no, Tatsuki-chan! It was Ishida---"

She stopped, her eyes wide as she looked up at the raven-haired girl. Tatsuki smiled, leaning back against the rail,

"I remember how sad you were when we graduated from that place. You were so scared that you'd never see him again. You cried for days!! And then you saw Ichigo. And when we entered high school, you didn't even notice that the boy was right there. Or maybe that's why you joined the Handicrafts club, hmm?"

Inoue blinked, a single tear sliding down her cheek,

"Tatsuki-chan..."

Tatsuki smiled, wiping away that tear,

"I'm just saying, Orihime...maybe the one you loved so much...wasn't Ichigo, after all. But maybe..."

They both turned at the sounds of an argument, the hotel room door bursting open shortly after,

"Good going, Rukia! That's how many places you got us kicked out of today? 5!? And all because you were amused by a stupid bell..."

"Shut up, Ichigo! I was simply admiring the construction of it's mechanism!"

"'Simply admiring' my ass! You looked like a retard! Opening and closing and opening--ow! What the hell did you hit me for!?"

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes, growling as she marched back inside,

"Hey! If you guys are gonna argue then take it outside! I've got a headache and I don't need to hear you two screamin' at each other!! Oh, but leave the food here, thanks!"

"Damn, Tatsuki! You're louder than we are!! Ow!!"

"What was that? I'd like to hear you say that again..."

"Fine, I will! 'Damn, Tatsuki! You're LOUDER than WE ARE!!'"

Inoue sighed as she turned back to the skyline, narrowing her eyes as she gazed at the sunset,

_'Ishida-kun...where are you?'_

ø

Ume sighed as she unlocked the door, the moonlight beaming down on her. Yuri rushed inside as she opened it, and she closed her eyes, shutting the door behind her,

"No running, Yuri! You could trip and--"

She gasped upon opening her eyes, glancing about the apartment,

"Oh my..."

Everything was clean. All of the dishes that had been piled in the sink were gone; the appliance itself sparkling. Walking into the living room, Ume gasped, noting the dustless television, and the strange embroidered curtains that now hung on the windows,

"What on earth--?"

"Mama!"

The woman glanced over, spotting Yuri beside the couch. The little boy giggled, poking at the face of the sleeping young man lying there,

"Uryuu stayed, Mama! Uryuu stayed!"

She walked over to them, smiling brightly as she brushed the hair from his face,

"He sure did..."

Carefully pulling off his glasses, she turned to Yuri, whispering softly,

"Go get a blanket from the hall closet, okay?"

The liitle boy nodded, excitedly rushing off to go grab one. Ume set Ishida's glasses down on the coffe table, looking back at him with tearful eyes,

"Thank you...Uryuu-kun..."

_"Thank you so much..."_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I haven't really had the time to update. Been busy getting ready to attend METRO-CON! (dies) I'm so excited! Only 11 days! (does lucky dance) lol Anyway, onto the chapter. . ;**_  
_


	6. Reasons

Reasons

_"So, I guess this means we're partners!"_

_--_

_The raven-haired boy glanced up at her, blinking shortly. She smiled to him, her shoulder-length hair fluttering as she cocked her head to the side,_

_"My name's Orihime! Inoue Orihime! What's yours?"_

_He blinked at her, adjusting his glasses as he went back to reading,_

_"Uryuu. Ishida Uryuu."_

_She blushed, clasping her hands together excitedly. After a few moments, he growled a little, sighing deeply,_

_"Why are you still standing there?"_

_"O-Oh! Sorry! Am I making you nervous? I'll sit down then!"_

_She took a seat right beside him, smiling brightly as he glanced over at her. _

**We got to know each other very well that year...Ishida-kun and I...**

_"Like this?"_

_She asked, pouring the contents of the vi__al__ into the beaker. His eyes widened as smoke began pouring out of it, both coughing as they inhaled it,_

_"No! Not that much!!"_

_The other students began running out of the room, coughing and wheezing from the smoke and the horrible smell of it. Ishida and Inoue staggered out last, Inoue beginning to laugh a little. Eventually, he started to laugh, too..._

**...I made a point to invite him everywhere Tatsuki and I went...but he never came along...**

_"Ishida-kun!"_

_She waved to him, running over quickly. Tatsuki stood a ways behind her, yawning. He blinked as she stopped, raising an eyebrow at her,_

_"Inoue-san? What is it?"_

_Swallowing hard, she glanced up at him, poking her fingers innocently together,_

_"Well, I...I was wondering--I mean, Tatsuki-chan and I were wondering... if you wanted to go to the movies with us today. A whole group of us are going, and I was wondering if you'd like to go too--"_

_"I don't have time to go to the movies."_

_She gasped, looking up at him in surprise. He had an awful look on his face, one of annoyance...and sadness. When he realised she was looking at him, he jumped, the look disappating instantly. Pushing up his glasses, he coughed, turning away,_

_"Thank you anyway...Inoue-san."_

_She straightened as he ran off, Tatsuki stepping up behind her,_

_"Man, what a jerk..."_

_She glanced back at the raven-haired girl, then to Ishida's fleeing figure._

**...I had no idea that that had been the day his grandfather had been killed. When I found out, I felt terrible...**

_"Ishida-kun..."_

_He glanced up from the swing, tears in his eyes. Quickly, he wiped them away and stood up, refusing to look at her,_

_"What do you want?"_

_She sniffled a little, tears welling in her eyes,_

_"I...I heard what happened... to your grandfather. I'm so sorry, Ishida-kun."_

_"What does it matter to you, anyway? Why are you even here? Just leave me alone!"_

_As he started to walk away, she ran after him, grabbing hold of his arm. He turned sharply, angry tears filling his eyes,_

_"What--!?"_

_She suddenly wrapped her arms around him, making him stop short in his sentence,_

_"You don't have to go it alone, Ishida-kun! I'm here! You can lean on me if you need to...because that's what friends are for!"_

_She could feel him starting to shake as he wrapped his arms around her, his sobs almost unbearable for her to hear._

**...That was the only time I ever saw Ishida-kun cry. At that moment was when I realised it... that I...**

_"I think I love him, Tatsuki-chan!"_

_The dark-haired girl spit suddenly, juice dripping from her chin,_

_"You WHAT!?"_

_Poking her fingers together, she blushed, smiling a little,_

_"I...I think I'm in love with Ishida-kun."_

_"How can you be in love with him? We're only 13, y'know..."_

_"Th-That doesn't matter! I'm in love with him, Tatsuki-chan! I just know he's the one!!"_

_"Ooh boy..."_

**...And then came that day...**

_"Woo! Finally!"_

_Tatsuki exclaimed as they walked along the river, arms stretched over her head,_

_"I thought we'd never get out of that place!"_

_"Yeah... me neither..."_

_"And next year we're onto high school! All right! I can't wait! I wonder what kind of karate league they've got there. I hope it doesn't suck..."_

_Inoue gasped as she glanced up, spotting Ishida walking further ahead. Nearly dropping her briefcase, she ran over to him, Tatsuki calling from behind,_

_"Orihime!"_

_As she drew closer, she blushed, smiling to herself,_

_'I'll tell him...I'll tell him today. Right now. I mean...who knows if we'll ever see each other again...but he has to know. I have to say something!'_

_Her eyes widened as she her foot caught on a jagged rock, causing her to stumble. She cried out as she fell forward, surprised when she didn't hit the dirt,_

_"Hey, you okay?"_

_Blinking, she glanced up nervously to meet gazes with a handsome, orange-haired boy. Swallowing hard, she stood up, peering around him,_

_"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."_

_Ishida was nowhere to be seen. She began to sniffle a little, wiping harshly at her eyes. The boy straightened, scratching his head nervously,_

_"H-Hey, don't cry! You're not hurt are you? Uh...jeez..."_

_"What did you do now, moron?"_

_Tatsuki growled, walking up beside Inoue. The orange-haired boy growled back, narrowing his eyes at her,_

_"Nothing, idiot. I was just helping her up is all."_

_"Yeah sure...then why is she crying?"_

_"I dunno! Maybe she hurt her ankle or something!"_

**...I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again...so I guess...I guess that's why I fell for Kurosaki-kun.**

----

Inoue sniffled as she rolled over in her sleep, a single tear streaming down her cheek,

"Ishida...kun."

ø

----

**She was always there...**

_"Hey! Leave him alone!"_

_He glanced down the hall, spotting a girl standing there. His eyes widened,_

_'Inoue-san?'_

_The group of boys that had taken into pummelling him every afternoon snickered, shoving him back against the lockers,_

_"You always have a girl to fight your battles for you, Four Eyes?"_

_They laughed as they triumphantly marched away. Inoue quickly ran to him, helping him pick up his books,_

_"You okay, Ishida-kun?"_

_He grunted in response. She handed him the books with a smile, her short, honey locks bobbing at her shoulders,_

_"You should try standing up to them. Then they'll leave you alone! That's what Tatsuki-chan always tells me to do!"_

_"Is that so?"_

_She nodded shortly, waving to him,_

_"Well, I gotta go. See you tomorrow!"_

_He smiled slightly as she ran off, the smile fading as he lost sight of her,_

_"Yeah...see you tomorrow."_

**...If I had said something to her back then, maybe then I...**

_"Ishida-kun!"_

_He turned slightly, spotting the girl jogging up the stairs behind him. She huffed as she reached him, a puff of fog escaping her lips. He blinked at the girl, raising an eyebrow curiously,_

_"Inoue-san... what are you doing out here?"_

_She giggled, bringing up a small, wrapped box,_

_"Here!"_

_He blinked at it in confusion, taking it carefully as she continued,_

_"I heard it was your birthday today! So, I got you a present!"_

_Unwrapping it slowly, he opened the box to find another box inside and scowled slightly,_

_"Is this some kind of joke?"_

_"I remember you mentioning that you were going to move out of your father's house as soon as you were old enough, so I figured you'd need to know how to sew, incase your clothes ripped and no one was around to fix them for you."_

_He opened the sleek grey case to see all manners of sewing equipment inside; from needles to pins, and even assorted threads. Blinking in surprise, he glanced up at her, his face blank,_

_"Wow...I-I don't know what to say."_

_She smiled at him, waving her hands nervously,_

_"O-Oh! You don't have to say anything, Ishida-kun! I was just--"_

_"Thank you."_

_She stopped, glancing up at him slowly. He was smiling. Her face turned cherry red suddenly, and she shivered, rubbing her arms,_

_"G-Gee! It's really cold out here! Guess we should be heading home..."_

_Turning away, she bounced back down the stairs, calling to him as she reached to bottom,_

_"See you tomorrow, Ishida-kun!"_

_She then ran down the sidewalk, Ishida glancing back down at the sewing box in his hand,_

_"Yeah..."_

_His scarf flapped violently in the wind as he turned his gaze back to her, smiling,_

_"See you tomorrow, Inoue-san..."_

**...But it wouldn't matter anyway...her heart was set on Kurosaki all along...**

_"Wow, Tatsuki-chan! This school even has a Handicrafts club!"_

_He glanced up from his new locker at Karakura High and gasped softly, spotting her down the hall,_

_'Inoue-san...!'_

_Her hair had grown out quite a bit from when he'd last seen her, and he swallowed hard as she turned around,_

_'She's...beautiful...'_

_The honey-haired girl stopped then, smiling brightly. She waved, jogging forward with a giggle. Ishida felt a smile cross his lips as she came closer, and he waved back...barely choking out a 'hi' as she ran passed him. _

_"Kurosaki-kun! I didn't know you'd be here!"_

_"Oh, hey, Inoue... how are you?"_

_Ishida turned slowly, eyes wide as he watched Inoue run to the orange-haired boy down the hall. Arisawa-san walked by him as well, groaning loudly,_

_"Hey loser, how was your summer?"_

_"Better than yours, I bet."_

_"Yeah, whatever."_

_The raven-haired boy watched them for a minute, his throat hardening. Then with a deep scowl, he slammed his locker shut and picked up his bag, walking onto class._

**...She never wanted me...not in the way she wanted him. She didn't even notice I was there...**

----

Ishida groaned as he opened his eyes, squinting hard as he raised up. He spotted a small, silvery blob on the large brown blob before him and reached for it, feeling it to be his glasses. Pushing them onto his nose, he glanced around the dark apartment, sitting up. Sighing deeply, he lowered his head, running a hand through his hair in silence.

"Why did you stay, Uryuu-kun?"

The raven-haired boy jumped, glancing behind him to see Ume standing there,

"O-Obata-san..."

She smiled warmly at him, stepping around to sit next to him on the sofa,

"You cleaned the house up for us...didn't you?"

He remained silent, earning a soft laugh from her,

"Thank you. That was very sweet of you."

A long silence hung in there, Ume smiling slyly as she turned to him,

"So, who's 'Inoue-san'?"

The boy blushed brightly, scooting away from her quickly,

"H-How did you know about--!?"

"I'm psychic."

"Wha...?"

"Just kidding you! You were mumbling in your sleep."

He stopped, straightening as she continued,

"You seemed so sad...lying there. Even a blanket couldn't keep you from shivering."

Looking to him gently, she offered a smile,

"Uryuu-kun...why did you come here? What are you running from?"

Swallowing hard, the boy pushed up his glasses, frowning,

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about--"

"If you keep pushing people away like that, you'll have no one left to care about you."

He looked up at her in surprise, blinking silently. She scowled at him, her eyes as solid as stone,

"Now tell me, Uryuu-kun. If you're in some kind of trouble..."

He leaned back, gazing down at his hands. He was silent for a few moments, Ume's stern gaze burning holes into his head. Sighing, he laid his head back, eyes closed,

"It's nothing like that."

Her gaze softened, to one more of concern,

"Then what is it?"

"I broke a promise."

The dark-haired woman straightened, blinking in surprise,

"A promise? Is that all?"

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance at that, but he calmed himself, continuing,

"I told my father...no... I swore to him... that I would never associate myself with a sh---...uh...a certain group of people ever again."

Ume nodded, leaning back against the cushion,

"I see. And you broke that promise?"

He lowered his head, again looking to his hands,

"I did."

Silence.

"Was this 'Inoue' one of these people?"

Ishida straightened, turning to Ume with wide eyes. He then lowered his gaze, shaking his head,

"No...no, she wasn't."

"So, then why aren't you with her?"

He paused a moment.

_'"If you were in love with someone and were unsure whether or not they felt the same... would you tell them?"'_

"It's...complicated."

"She's in love with someone else. One of those people you promised not to hang around...am I right?"

Ishida looked to the woman in surprise, stuttering,

"Obata-san...h-how did you--?"

"Listen to me, Uryuu-kun... if you love this girl, don't wait. Tell her."

He turned away from her, his head bowed,

"But I..."

"If I had the chance...just one more chance to tell my husband how much I loved for him...I would take it without a second thought."

The raven-haired boy blinked as she stood, watching her walk over to a nearby bookshelf,

"Husband?"

She plucked a picture frame off of one of the higher shelves and walked back over to the couch, handing it to the boy,

"Hayato."

Carefully taking the framed photograph, he scanned the image of a young man, barely in his 20s. This man had soft, brown hair that hung just past his ears and brilliant green eyes. He wore a pair of knee-length, black and red swim trunks, and supported a lime-coloured surfboard with his left hand. His right arm was wrapped around an even younger, dark-haired woman. The woman was sporting a skimpy, neon green bikini. Ishida blushed,

"Is...is this you, Obata-san?"

Ume giggled, blushing a little herself,

"Yeah...that was before Yuri came along. No way, I could wear that thing, nowadays! That was when Hayato and I first starting dating. That would make that picture...about 11 years old, I guess. I was around 17, then."

She took the picture back from him, smiling to herself as she traced over Hayato with her fingertips,

"We were crazy kids, back then. He was away a lot...and my parents didn't really approve of me dating someone nearly two hu--er...two to three years older than I was. We'd usually sneak out at night while no one was awake."

She sighed deeply, chuckling softly as she continued,

"We were married not long after this picture was taken...and I ran away from home. We got a house in Osaka...it was hard for awhile but we made it through. Hayato was...away on business a lot."

"Was he an officer?"

Ume glanced up at Ishida with a weary smile,

"Y-Yeah...something like that. Anyway...about 3 years ago...he was called about a disturbance somewhere in the area. I begged him not to go...but he went anyway. And he never came back."

Ishida straightened as the woman began to tremble, his eyes widening,

"Obata-san..."

"He'd called for back up...but they didn't come. After two hours I went out looking for him...I couldn't find him anywhere. Finally, I went to our spot...it was this beautiful willow on the lake by our home... and there he was...I don't even know how he made it there..."

She laughed shortly, tears softly splattering on the glass of the frame,

"His last words to me...'I know what you must be thinking...but let me tell you something...you, Obata Ume, are still a knock out in that little lime bikini.'"

The boy smiled sadly as she wiped her eyes, the two of them falling silent.

"You remind me of him, sometimes...Uryuu-kun."

Ishida straightened as she stood, heading back to the shelf,

"How so?"

She smiled as she set it down, lowering her gaze,

_'"Um...Obata-san? Can I talk to you for a minute?"'_

_----_

_The 17-year-old girl scowled as they sat down on the beach, her eyebrow twitching,_

_"Okay, enough with the 'Obata-san' crap. We've known each other for two years now. Call me 'Ume'."_

_The boy blushed, blinking at her in surprise,_

_"A...Are you sure?"_

_"Yes..."_

_She folded her arms, growling,_

_"And if you ask me that again, I will smack you."_

_"Y-Yes, of course."_

_They listened to the ocean waves for a few minutes, Ume sighing,_

_"So... what is it you wanted to talk about?"_

_Hayato blushed, scratching his head as he sighed,_

_"Well...they're sending us out in a couple of months...some sort of uprising on the western front."_

_"When will you be back?"_

_He paused, laying back in the sand,_

_"I don't know. My captain hasn't said how bad it is out there yet..."_

_Ume straightened, glancing back at him in shock as he continued,_

_"I...I want to make sure you're ready...if I don't--"_

_"Don't even talk like that! You're a seated officer, aren't you! Of course you'll come back!"_

_He sighed, smiling slightly as he grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her down. She nervously rested her head on his bare chest, her heart beating madly as he spoke,_

_"Ume...before I met you...I had nothing in my life. All I cared about was going up in the ranks...and someday becoming captain of my own squad... but...then I was sent here... and I met you... and my whole life changed. Ume...I just...I just..."_

_"You just what, Hayato?"_

_He sighed, shifting his gaze from her to the sky,_

_"I just don't want to burden you."_

_----_

"If you love her, Uryuu-kun...then don't wait. Don't let your whole life waste away... wondering what could've been."

She turned to him, smile sadly as tears streamed steadily down her cheeks,

"That's why you ran, isn't it? You love her...and you're unsure if she feels the same. Am I right?"

He lowered his head, his eyes shimmering in the dim, moonlight,

"But...she doesn't... I don't want to burden her--"

"Don't. Don't ever say you don't want to be a burden to her. You became her burden the moment you ran away from home!"

His eyes widened at the woman's angered words, and he watched her silently as she headed back to the hallway. She stopped before stepping into her room, glancing back at him,

"If you truly love this girl, Uryuu-kun...if you truly want to make her happy... you'll go home. You'll go home and you'll fight for her. Because life is too short..."

She drew in a wavering breath, closing the door softly behind her. Ishida bowed his head as he heard the door click shut. Sighing deeply, he buried his face in his hands, and exhaled slowly,

_'Obata-san...'_

Ume leaned back against her bedroom door, her eyes blurred with tears.

_'"I hate him, Ume... I hate him!!"'_

_----_

_"Hayato! Hayato, what's wrong? What happened??"_

_Ume watched in concern as her husband burst into tears, burying his face in his hands. Her heart broke as she heard his voice cracking,_

_"He did it... He killed that poor man..."_

_"Who did?"_

_"Kurotsuchi-taichou! He paid off three of our men to wait..."_

_He burst into sobs again, and she sat down beside him, gently rubbing his back,_

_"What happened, Hayato?"_

_The green-eyed man wiped his eyes, and she could see his anger beginning to take over,_

_"My captain...he paid three of our men to hold off...in rescuing a Quincy."_

_Ume straightened, her eyes wide in shock,_

_"Wh...What? But why?"_

_"Do you even have to ask? He wanted to use him as a specimen...for his research."_

_He stood, heading over to the window. The dark-haired woman gasped softly as he continued, her eyes welling with tears,_

_"It was...an elderly man... I saw him on the table...they...they began working on him...live."_

_His head lowered, tears streaming down his cheeks as he continued,_

_"And I could hear him...all the while...he kept calling out...for his grandson...the whole time..."_

_Pushing up off of the bed, she hurried over to the window, wrapping her arms around him from behind,_

_"I'm so sorry, Hayato..."_

_"I trusted that man, Ume... I trusted him... how stupid. That poor man..."_

_They silenced for a time, Hayato's sobs the only sound in the room. _

_----_

Ume lowered her head, sinking to the floor. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she sobbed violently, her nails digging into her skin,

"Hayato..."

* * *

**A/N: Had to repost due to a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE mess up. LOL Apparently Ume had a thing for her own kid last go around. XD**


	7. Decided

Decided

"Okay! Everybody ready!?"

Rukia exclaimed, raising her fist high in the air. Inoue blinked in surprise as they all stood outside Tatsuki's hotel room, cocking her head to the side,

"Wow, Kuchiki-san... you're really into this aren't you? And I thought that was just _my_ thing..."

The petite shinigami halted in her antics, a bead of sweat rolling down her face.

"She just wants to get back to the turnstiles."

Narrowing her eyes, she suddenly jerked her fist back, slamming Ichigo square in the face. The orange-haired boy yelped, staggering backward,

"Why you--!!!"

"Come on everybody, chop chop! Let's go!! We don't want to keep Ishida waiting now, _do we_?"

Rukia exclaimed, skipping off innocently down the hall. She halted as the wall slid open beside her and gasped as people walked out of it,

"Ooh... what's this called, Ichigo?"

Ichigo slammed a hand against his head as he and Chad walked over to her, groaning in aggravation,

"Damn it... I was hoping you wouldn't see that and we could just take the stairs."

"Well, that's an awfully weird name for this contraption..."

Inoue giggled, Tatsuki frowning beside her,

"Where exactly did she come from, again?"

"Tatsuki-chan..."

The raven-haired girl blinked as she glanced over at Inoue, hands on her hips,

"Yeah?"

The honey-haired girl smiled, shrugging her shoulders a little,

"I...I just wanted to thank you. You helped me remember all that stuff about Ishida-kun...I've been so misty-eyed over Kurosaki-kun that I would never have remembered it by myself. I guess...Ishida-kun running away made me think things over... I'm glad you were here, Tatsuki-chan. Thank you."

She turned and started down the hall toward the others, Tatsuki calling after her,

"Orihime!"

Inoue stopped and turned back to her, straightening,

"Yeah?"

Tatsuki folded her arms, frowning slightly,

"Are you sure? I mean, you're not just gonna turn around and be tagging along at Ichigo's heels again...are you?"

Thinking for a moment, Inoue shook her head,

"Actually...I'm not. I'm going to wait awhile... before I say anything. To make sure I feel that way about him, you know?"

She smiled, biting her lip as she began to blush,

"Because... Ishida-kun...is a very important person to me...and I don't want to hurt him if I'm wrong."

Tatsuki smiled as Inoue turned and headed to the elevator,

"That a girl..."

ø

"Come on, Uryuu!"

Yuri giggled, tugging at the boy's hand as he ran up the hill. Ume smiled as she watched them from behind, calling to them,

"Now, don't go too far, you two!"

"We won't!"

Ishida stopped as they reached the top, glancing back at her,

"Well, _I_ won't, _he_ might..."

"C'mon!"

A sharp tug from Yuri and Ishida was almost floored, rising a laugh from the dark-haired woman. Yuri excitedly dragged the lanky boy over to the swings and sat down, grinning. Ishida smiled, leaning over to see eye to eye with him,

"Do you want me to push you, Yuri?"

"No! You swing too!"

"Me too? O-Okay..."

He sat down on the swing beside the little boy, kicking only a little bit at the ground. Yuri, however, was determined to fly. He struggled to get started, and nearly fell off the swing altogether. Finally, he started moving... but only because the boy beside him had pushed him while he wasn't looking. Yuri giggled as he went higher and higher, Ishida frowning in concern,

"Careful, you don't want to swing too high."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because, you might get hurt and that would make your mother sad."

"Mama's alwheady sad."

Ishida straightened as the boy worked his way higher,

"What?"

"I heawd hewh cwying the othawh night. She nevah tells me what's whong, though. I think she cwies 'cause she misses my daddy."

Lowering his head, the raven-haired boy sighed, tightly gripping the ropes of the swing,

"Do you miss him, Yuri?"

"My daddy? Hmm...not wheely."

Ishida glanced up at Yuri as he swung past, watching silently as he swung back and forth,

"I don't wheely weemembah him. I only have picthuwes. Mama said he loved me vewhy much...and I guess that's all that wheely mattawhs. Whight?"

He leapt out of the swing, Ishida quickly darting to catch him. The boy hit him smack in the chest, and they both hit the dirt, Yuri giggling loudly,

"You'we funny, Uryuu!"

Ishida coughed, Yuri fixing his glasses for him,

"Thanks..."

A loud howl suddenly pierced through the air, and Ishida's eyes widened,

_'A hollow!?'_

Another howl and the raven-haired boy stood, Yuri frowning up at him,

"What is it, Uryuu?"

He glanced around, his perfectly blue eyes wide with fear for the tiny boy,

"Let's get you back to your mother, all right?"

"Okay."

Ishida frowned as they headed back down the hill, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

_'I don't get it...why is there a hollow here? I've been careful in hiding my reiatsu, so it can't possibly be that they've tracked me...could it be...an arrancar? Or...'_

He stopped as another howl resounded through the park, grinding his teeth together tightly,

_'Aizen...? No...it couldn't be...Kurosaki defeated him...'_

"Uryuu-kun? Are you all right?"

Ishida turned back to Ume, startled,

"Huh? I-I mean...I'm fine! It's nothing."

The woman frowned, hoisting Yuri up into her arms,

"Maybe we should head back. You don't look too well..."

He straightened, shaking his head,

"N-No, I'm all right. Really..."

Another howl. Ishida swallowed hard, clenching his fists tightly,

_'I have to get them away from here...'_

"You know...on our way here I spotted an ice cream shop. It's just a few blocks away. How about you take Yuri to get some, Obata-san?"

She frowned, tightening her grip on Yuri,

"Uryuu-kun..."

"Yeah! Mama, let's get ice cweam!"

Ishida forced a smile, Ume's stern gaze fixed on him,

"You two go on. I'll catch up later."

He turned and ran back up the hill, Ume calling after him,

"Uryuu-kun! Uryuu-kun, come back...!"

"Mama? What's the mattawh?"

She glanced down at Yuri, shaking her head,

"N-Nothing, sweetheart..."

Her body tensed as she heard another howl, turning away from the park,

"Let's go get some ice cream."

"Yay!"

The howl's continued as they headed on down the street, Ume's heart racing,

_'Why the hell did he run off like that!? It can't be because he can hear them. Uryuu-kun has absolutely no reiatsu whatsoever! Even if he did hear them...he couldn't possibly begin to fight them off.'_

A low rumble from the heavens, and Ume glanced back, biting her lip,

_'Be careful...'_

ø

Running through the park, Ishida gritted his teeth, glancing about in all directions,

_'Where is it? I don't see it anywhere!'_

He caught the strange looks people were shooting him; saw them pointing. He didn't care. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his pentacle, sliding it onto his wrist,

_'Come on! Where are you!?'_

Reaching the end of the park, he leapt over the guard rail and landed gracefully on the sidewalk. He dashed down the walk, weaving in and out of the various crowds of people littering it. On his way down the street, he rushed passed the entrance to the subway station, too distracted to notice the honey-haired girl hopping up the stairs...

ø

"Rukia, come...on!!"

The petite shinigami growled, her fingers tightly gripping the bars on the turnstile,

"Just...once...more!"

"NO! We don't have time for that!! Now come on!!"

She let out a squeal as she was yanked away from it, eyes widening as Ichigo hoisted her over his shoulder,

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ichigo!? Put me DOWN!!"

They started up the stairs, Inoue gazing at her hands,

_'What if Ishida-kun isn't here, either...? What if we never find him? No, Orihime! Stop thinking like that! Ishida-kun couldn't have gone far...it's only been a couple days.'_

She started up the stairs, a smile crossing her lips,

_'We'll find him. Tatsuki-chan said we would. And even if he isn't in this town... I won't stop looking for him. I'll find Ishida-kun...or I'll die trying!'_

She hopped up onto the street, raising a fist in the air triumphantly,

"Here I come!"

"Inoue-san?"

She glanced back at Chad, blinking innocently,

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

With that, she paused, laughing nervously as she caught strange looks from the people passing by,

"O-Oh, me? Nothing! Nothing at all...!"

Inoue stopped then, spotting him across the street. He was running, fast, weaving in and out of crowds. At first she wasn't sure if it was really him...but she then caught sight of the glinting pentacle on his wrist. Her heart stopped as he ran on passed, her eyes fixed on his fleeting figure,

"Ishida...kun..."

Straightening, she suddenly burst into a run across the street, screaming after him,

"Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun!!"

Ichigo cursed as he reached the top step, Rukia still kicking at him,

"Inoue! Wait!!"

The three of them stopped as a loud howl echoed throughout the town, Ichigo's eyes wide in horror,

"Was that...a hollow?"

Rukia frowned, pulling out her cell phone. She gasped, her eyes widening,

"Ichigo. Put me down, right now."

"Why, what is it?"

He set the tiny woman down, raising an eyebrow at her as she ran up to the street,

"Rukia..."

"There isn't just one hollow, Ichigo..."

He straightened, his eyes widening as she showed him the screen. Almost 10 little green dots were blinking on the radar, and more were piling in by the minute,

"They're swarming."

Ichigo clenched his fists tightly, running across the street after the honey-haired girl,

"Dammit! Inoue!!"

ø

Ishida halted as he reached an empty street, glancing about in all directions,

_'Where...where is it?'_

A howl sounded directly behind him and he spun around, eyes fixing on a hollow that stood at about the height of a skyscraper. Twelve, slimy tentacles sprouted from it's skull, and it howled again, all of them surging toward the boy. Ishida cursed, quickly darting out of the way. He skidded to a stop a few feet away, quickly drawing up an arrow. He stopped then, his eyes wide. The hollow was gone.

"What the...?"

He gasped, a sharp sting suddenly shooting through his left leg. He glanced down, his heart stopping as his pant leg tore and a deep gash appeared. The hollow shrieked loudly as it reappeared behind him, it's tentacles charging straight at his back. He slowly turned, his eyes widening as they tore through his skin...

ø

Ume stopped as they reached their apartment, dropping her ice cream cone. Yuri frowned, blinking at her in confusion,

"Mama? What is it?"

The woman remained frozen, her eyes wide as a series of violent images flashed through her head. At the end of these flashes, she could see Ishida lying on the street...blood pooling beneath him. Gasping, she took Yuri by the hand and ran to the apartment beside their's, knocking furiously on the door,

"Mizuho! Mizuho, are you home!?"

A young girl around the age of 20 answered the door, raising an eyebrow,

"Hey, Ume. What's up?"

"Could you watch Yuri for a little while? I-I need to go somewhere."

"Oh? And what happened to that cute guy who was staying with you? Can't he watch the little tike?"

"Not now, Mizuho! Just please, watch him!!"

She then ran to the stairs, her heart racing. Yuri cried after her, tears streaming down his cheeks,

"Mama! Mama, come back!!"

Ume narrowed her eyes as she ran down the street, a beat of sweat sliding down her face,

_'No...not again...I can't let it happen again!'_

_'"There's a disturbance..."'_

_----_

_Ume straightened as her husband pulled away from her, wiping his eyes of tears. She shook her head as he picked up his zanpakutou, wrapping her arms around him from behind,_

_"Hayato, no! Don't go out there!!"_

_The brunette glanced back at her, his expression soft,_

_"Ume..."_

_"You said Kurotsuchi...he'd come after you. You know too much about his research for him to let you live! Please don't go!!"_

_He sighed, lowering his head,_

_"I can't just ignore my duty, Ume... as much as I'd like to. I'm still his lieutenant...trustworthy captain or not. And I must obey his orders..."_

_Hayato gritted his teeth as her grip tightened__ around his waist, the woman's sobbing breaking his heart,_

_"But...But he'll only kill you."_

_They were silent for a time, the young man turning around to face her. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, squeezing her tightly,_

_"I know. But I can't let him get away with what he's done."_

_Wiping the tears from her eyes, he kissed her softly on the forehead, smiling down at her,_

_"I'll come back, Ume. I promise."_

**But you didn't come back.**

_"Hayato!"_

_The dark-haired woman cried out into the night. She glanced about the scene anxiously, her heart stopping as she spotted a trail of blood leading into the darkness. She chased down the road, keeping her eye on the trail,_

_"Hayato!! Hayato, where are you!?"_

_Following the blood to a grassy park, she gasped softly,_

_"Our tree..."_

_A lone willow stood at the corner of the tiny park, and she squinted hard, spotting a dark figure sitting at it's trunk. Eyes wide, she covered her mouth, letting out a cry as she ran forward,_

_"Hayato!!"_

_The figure shifted slightly as she drew closer, letting out a soft moan. Kneeling down beside the man, Ume shook her head, tears filling her eyes,_

_"Hayato..."_

_The poor man was covered head to toe in blood. Numerous gashes stretched along his arms and legs, and a gaping wound in his middle was bleeding profusely. He coughed, more flying from his lips,_

_"Looks like...I wasn't strong enough after all..."_

_Shaking her head, she began ripping strips of cloth from her skirt, pressing them to his wounds,_

_"St-Stay with me, Hayato...!"_

_He smiled at that, coughing again as he leaned his head back,_

_"Ume...don't..."_

_"No! I'm not losing you!!"_

_"Please...!"_

_She paused, looking to him silently. He frowned, sucking in a wavering breath,_

_"There's something I need to tell you...Ume."_

_Grabbing hold of his hand, she brushed his bangs from his face, _

_"What...? What is it?"_

_"The disturbance tonight...it wasn't a hollow. It was...Kurotsuchi-taichou. He...he was there...and he had someone with him...a young woman named Nemu...he made her to be my replacement..."_

_Ume straightened, her eyes wide in horror,_

_"Replacement? Then you mean...??"_

_He nodded,_

_"Kurotsuchi...taichou, called me out here...with an intent to kill me..."_

_Tensing, he coughed again, looking her deep in the eye,_

_"I need you...and Yuri...to run as far from here as possible...don't look back. Leave as soon as you can..."_

_"But Hayato--!"_

_"No, buts! Ume...he'll find out...he'll find out that you know...and he'll come after you both...just to keep the silence..."_

_He swallowed hard, trying hard to keep his eyes open,_

_"I don't want...anything to happen to you...I've never wanted that...I'm sorry...to have been such a burden--"_

_"No! No, don't say that! You were never a burden...never..."_

_She began to sob and he smiled, tears reaching his eyes as well,_

_"Ume...don't cry."_

_The dark-haired woman shook her head, wiping her eyes furiously,_

_"I-I'm sorry...I can't help it..."_

_There was a moment or two of silence, and he smiled, laughing softly,_

_"Do you remember when we first met...?"_

_She nodded, her tears unceasing. Coughing a little, he leaned his head back against the tree, relaxing,_

_"You thought...I was some pervert peeking in at you from outside your window... In all honesty...I __**was**__ peeking in at you...but not to see you naked..."_

_Her eyes widened as she looked up at him, blinking tears down her cheeks as he continued,_

_"You always looked so beautiful...when you slept. That's what drew me too you...how peaceful and calm you were..."_

_Her throat hardened as she watched him, a heavy fog drifting over his eyes. He smiled wistfully, his voice barely a whisper,_

_"You know...I'm sure you could still fit in it if you tried...that little lime bikini...I bet you'd still be a knock out in it..."_

_His body loosened, his lips barely able to form those final words. His voice was so soft that it could no longer be heard, but she knew what he'd said,_

_"I love you."_

_And then...he was gone. Ume burst into tears, falling onto him as she screamed,_

_"Hayato, no...HAYATO!!!"_

_----_

_'I can't let you die, Uryuu-kun...'_

She frowned, speeding across the street,

_'Not when you still have so much to live for!'_

ø

Inoue came to a stop as she reached the end of the street, rain pouring steadily down upon her. She leaned far over, her breathing laboured,

_'Ishida-kun...'_

_----_

**I don't know...**

_He appeared between them suddenly, arrow fixed on Jiroubo,_

_"You've been picking on Inoue-san from the beginning."_

_His eyes narrowed as he glared up at the cowardly shinigami, voice threatening,_

_"It's time I ended this. Time for regret would be wasted on you."_

**...I don't know what I would do...**

_He placed a grubby hand on her shoulder, his nostrils flaring,_

_"I'm Umesada Toshimori. You've probably heard of me. What do you think? You want to come to my room tonight? I won't treat you wrong--"_

_Ishida grabbed the disgusting creature's arm, plucking it away from her as he stepped in between them. At this, Umesada growled,_

_"What's your problem?"_

_"At this crucial time when ryoka are invading and special war-time orders have been given, I cannot imagine an honourable officer like yourself has time to spare for flirting."_

**...if you were no longer here...**

_"When you're in a hurry, it's no surprise to forget your sword once or twice!"_

_"Come on, now. This way. We'll escort you to the squad building."_

_They began leading her down the walk, Inoue smiling politely at them. _

_"Inoue-san! Get away from them!"_

_She turned to see Ishida running toward her, eyes widening as a fireball suddenly encircled them. She leapt, managing to save one of the men behind her shield. Ishida stood before her, gazing down at her sadly as she spoke,_

_"Thank you. If you hadn't screamed out, Ishida-kun, I..."_

_"No...we survived because you kept practising for so long...Inoue-san."_

**...I just don't know...**

_"Can I ask you something, Ishida-kun?"_

_He nodded, heading back over to her,_

_"Of course. What is it?"_

_"If you were in love with someone and were unsure whether or not they felt the same... would you tell them?"_

_"If I were in love with someone..."_

_She looked up at him with teary eyes. _

_"If I were in love with someone," he repeated, "I wouldn't hesitate. I'd tell them right away...and not let a moment with them slip through my fingers." _

----

Inoue bit her lip, stepping of the curb into a dead run,

_'I have to find him...I can't let him slip through my fingers! Not this time!!'_

ø

Ume gasped as she reached the top of the stairs, an ear piercing howl resounding throughout the area. She ran to the railing a few metres in front of her, grasping it firmly as she leaned forward over it. On the street below her, she saw them. Nearly fifteen hollows filled the avenue, each howling louder than the one before it. Her eyes fell upon the single person standing before them, prepared to take them on all by himself,

"Uryuu-kun...?"

ø

Ishida cursed, gritting his teeth as he clutched his left arm painfully,

"Shit..."

His sapphire eyes carefully watched the hollows surrounding him, and he narrowed his eyes,

_'Fifteen...there are fifteen of them...'_

Gritting his teeth, he drew another bow, firing off just enough to kill everyone of them. It proved useless, however. They simply reappeared before him, unphased. His left arm trembled and he lowered his bow, grasping his shoulder,

_'I can't keep this up for much longer. These hollows...they're strange. It's not that they're strong...but they're fast. They dodge everything that I throw at them...its almost as if they can read my movements.'_

The tentacled hollow from before let out a loud howl, swinging one of it's tentacles around at him. Unable to escape it in time, the powerful swing sent him flying smack into the wall of a nearby building. He pushed himself up a little, blood dripping from the tear above his eyebrow. His eyes narrowed as he glared up at it, the creature slowly ebbing closer,

"Damn...it."

ø

Ume gasped as she watched the boy draw a bow from thin air, her eyes glowing a brilliant blue as he fired 15 arrows at the tiny armada.

Her eyes widened as the hollows disappeared a split second before the arrows connected; reappearing moments later. She shook her head, her grip on the rail tightening,

"It can't be..."

_"And I could hear him...all the while...he kept calling out...for his grandson...the whole time..."_

_----_

_Pushing up off of the bed, she hurried over to the window, wrapping her arms around him from behind,_

_"I'm so sorry, Hayato..."_

_He continued to sob, squeezing his eyes,_

_"He kept calling out for him...for that boy...Uryuu...Uryuu...!"_

_----_

Eyes wide, she gazed at the boy standing in the road below her, trembling,

_'It was you...that boy...it was you, Uryuu-kun...'_

She let out a gasp as one hollow surged forward, sending him flying into a building nearby. Tears gleaming, she let out a scream,

"URYUU-KUN!!"

ø

Upon hearing Ume's voice, Ishida snapped to attention,

"Obata-san...?"

She stood high above him on another street, a peachy blob as his eyes tried to focus. Another hollow let out a yowl, turning in her direction. Ishida cursed, his eyes widening. He couldn't move,

"Obata-san!! Get away from here! Run, now!!"

The dark-haired woman gazed in horror as the hollow drew closer, it's claw-like hands reaching out to her. She fell backward onto the ground, kicking away from it as steadily drew closer. The hollow's hand reared back suddenly, it's claws forming a single spike. Ume let out a cry as it surged forward at her, using an arm to shield herself. Struggling to rise from his spot on the asphalt, Ishida cursed, his heart racing,

"OBATA-SAN!!"

"She'll be fine."

Ishida raised his gaze toward the sky as a shadow flew overhead, his eyes wide. He recognised that blur,

"Kuchiki-san?"

A yowl from nearby drew his attention to the hollow sailing straight at him and he gritted his teeth, turning away quickly.

"HHHHYAAAAHHH!!!"

Raising his head, he gaped in shock as an orange-haired shinigami easily sliced it in two, landing with back turned before him. He blinked, practically speechless,

"K-Kurosaki?"

"Well, yeah. Who else would it be? Don Kanonji?"

Ishida gritted his teeth at that, shaking his head in irritation,

"What the hell are you doing here!? Why aren't you in Karakura?!"

"Because some dumb ass decided to run off without telling his friends where he was going, maybe? I dunno. You do the math."

Ishida straightened at that, another cry drawing his attention right,

"Ishida-kun!!"

There she was. The poor girl was completely soaked by the downpour. Her hair hung down in strings about her face, sticking to her skin. He was silent, cursing as a hollow suddenly stepped in between them,

"Inoue-san!"

Inoue gasped as it readied to attack her, Chad rushing up from beside her and slamming it square in the face. It was knocked away, but not defeated, and let out an agonised howl. Ishida blinked at the tanned boy, nearly speechless,

"Sado-kun..."

"Why did you run away?"

"Eh...?"

"We were worried."

He found it hard to believe these words had come from Chad's mouth.

"Ishida-kun!"

Inoue ran around the tanned boy, fingers at her temples. A glowing, orange barrier encircled his arm as she suddenly embraced him, his glasses sliding down his nose,

"I-Inoue-san?"

"I was so worried about you, Ishida-kun! I went to your apartment and you weren't there, and all I could find was that note... I got scared. I thought something terrible had happened to you..."

His expression softened as he lowered his gaze shamefully,

"I'm sorry, Inoue-san."

"Uryuu-kun!"

Inoue drew away from him as the dark-haired woman ran over, Rukia right behind her. She knelt down beside him, her hand trembling as she gently touched his shoulder,

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

He replied shortly, gasping as he caught sight of a slinking silhouette. Quickly, he shoved her down, doing the same to Inoue,

"Look out!"

The silhouette grinned plainly, firing a jagged, metal spike at the boy. He raised his arms to deflect it, cursing loudly as it broke through the glowing shield that surrounded his arm and embedded itself there. The shield shattered, Ayame and Shunou screaming as they fell. Inoue caught them, tears streaming down her cheeks as they morphed back into metallic petals,

"Ayame! Shunou!"

The raven-haired boy cursed as he pulled the spike from his arm, blood dripping from the wound. His heart stopped at the sound of a familiar laugh and he slowly raised his head, the attacker stepping out of the shadows,

"My, my... so it seems you're still alive, afterall...Quincy."

Ishida snarled, clenching his fists tightly as he glared at the man,

"_You..._"

Rukia gasped as the hollows all around them began dissipating one-by-one. Inoue straightened, pushing herself up off of the sidewalk,

"Ishida-kun...that's--"

"Kurotsuchi..."

They all turned to Ume, who gazed at him with wide, fearful eyes. She clasped a hand to her heart, sweat beading down her face,

"Kurotsuchi...Mayuri!"

* * *

**A/N: Hullo thar! lol Well, Metrocon was a blast. For anyone who went I was Ishida Uryuu #1 of a grand total of 2! Sad idn't it? And the other guy didn't even have a wig. --; Poor Ishida-kun. Gets no love at all. Though, an L _did_ sit on me... I dunno if that counts as love or yaoi crack pairing, though. XD **

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully this time, Ume gets no incestuous notions... ROFL R&R peeps! **


	8. Unforgivable

Unforgivable

Mayuri grinned, his grin white and toothy against his pitch black face,

"Well, well... this is surprising. I never thought I'd see _you_ here...Ume-san."

Ishida glanced down at her, his eyes widened in shock,

"Obata-san? How do you know...?"

Ume stood, her eyes deadly as she glared at him,

"How dare you...how dare you show your face in front of me after what you did! Hayato was a good man! He was _your_ lieutenant!! How dare you show your face to me after you _murdered_ him in _COLD BLOOD_!!"

The raven-haired boy straightened, Mayuri's disgusted snort building fury within him. Mayuri calmly wiped at his nose with his thumb,

"Murder? I wouldn't call Hayato-kun's death a _murder_. I was simply acting in self defense...! Your husband was the one who attacked me, after all..."

"You liar!!"

Ume shouted, tears streaming down her face as she stepped off of the curb,

"He told me...with his dying breath... you had already assigned another lieutenant to take his place. A young woman named Nemu! You dispatched him to the park and arrived there yourself...with intent to kill him!!"

Mayuri's calm air soon turned to one of annoyance and he turned his nose up at the woman,

"Oh...? I'm very sure that was not the case... Your husband quit due to his objections about my research... he was dispatched to fight a hollow and upon beating it, I came to him to apologise... he attacked me. So, I killed him."

"And just what research was it that he was objecting to?"

Ichigo quipped, holding his sword ready before him. Smirking, Mayuri turned to Ishida,

"Of all people...you should be able to figure THAT one out...Quincy."

The raven-haired boy straightened, his body beginning to shake,

"N-No..."

"Yes... Hayato-kun quit because he was disgusted by the thought of dissecting a Quincy..._live._"

Ichigo and Rukia straightened at that, Inoue's eyes widening as she looked up at Ishida,

"Ishida-kun...?"

Mayuri simply smirked.

_'"What's the matter...Hayato-kun?"'_

_----_

_The chestnut-haired man whirled around, eyes wide in horror,_

_"Kurotsuchi...taichou?"_

_Calmly, the black-and-white faced man strolled into the lab, the Quincy's cries phasing him not,_

_"It can't be because...you've a weak stomach for this sort of thing? Can it?"_

_"But...but he's still alive..."_

_"And?"_

_"And!? And you can't experiment on a living specimen!! Especially not a Quincy! They're under our protection!!"_

_He straightened as Mayuri began to laugh, frowning,_

_"What...what's so funny?"_

_"You foolish boy. This is exactly why I had you assigned a post in the living world..."_

_Hayato back-stepped, his heart racing,_

_"You...you've been doing this...the whole time?"_

_"How else do you think I learned so much about the Quincies? I couldn't very well have you, Mr. Goody-Goody, running around and ruining my plans."_

_He fell back against the wall, eyes locked onto the floor tiles,_

_"Then...then why? Why did you make me your lieutenant...?"_

_"Because I thought you had potential."_

_He raised his gaze to his captain, emerald eyes widening as the man drew closer,_

_"I thought you would make a fine asset to this squad...but then you met that wretched little whore. What's her name now? Ume?"_

_Shrugging, Mayuri sighed deeply,_

_"I suppose after I'm finished with you...I'll just have to get rid of her as well."_

_Fists clenched tightly, Hayato drew his zanpakutou and rushed forward, holding it to Mayuri's throat. Other members of the squad began to gather, a large, green one in particular stomping over toward Hayato,_

_"Lieutenant!"_

_Hayato's eyes narrowed, deadly set with his captain's,_

_"If you go anywhere near my family...I swear to God...I will kill you where you stand."_

_At that moment, the lower seated members of the squad grabbed him, prying him away from their precious leader. Hayato struggled as they dragged him away, his shouts echoing through the lab,_

_"I'LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I'LL KILL YOU!!!"_

**That poor bastard never knew when to quit...**

_"I didn't think you'd actually be dumb enough to come when called...Hayato-kun."_

_The chestnut-haired man turned, zanpakutou in hand. There stood Mayuri, a young woman at his side. He narrowed his eyes,_

_"Kurotsuchi."_

_Mayuri smiled at that,_

_"So... then you've given up your title as my lieutenant?"_

_"I'd rather die...then serve you any longer."_

_"You know," he chuckled, grinning widely,_

_"I was almost hoping you'd say that. You had such promise, Hayato-kun... it will be a shame to lose you. I'm not sure how the rest of the squad will deal with it...losing one lieutenant...and gaining a new all in one day."_

_Hayato straightened, eyes widening,_

_"What?"_

_He glanced over at the young, dark-haired woman to Mayuri's left, then back to him,_

_"The girl...?"_

_"Her name is Kurotsuchi Nemu. I created her upon hearing of your death."_

_"My death? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Kurotsuchi?"_

_"Perhaps... maybe if you changed your mind, I wouldn't have to kill you. You could be my personal lab assistant. You always loved participating in my experiments--"_

_"That was before you stripped a poor boy of his grandfather."_

_Mayuri sneered in disgust, narrowing his eyes at the young man,_

_"Still squawking about that, are we?"_

_"How could you? Paying off our men to hold off on his rescue...how do you sit knowing that young boy is now without his loving grandfather?"_

_Sneering, Mayuri shrugged,_

_"That young boy is no concern to me... why, more than likely he'll be next, anyway..."_

_Hayato cursed, raising his zanpakutou into the air,_

_"Burst into life, AKIHANAZEN!"_

**What a fool.**

_Hayato staggered backward from Mayuri's sword, blood flying from his lips. He tried hard to keep his balance, his eyes wide and fearful as he lost control of his legs. He fell to the asphalt, blood spreading from his wounds,_

_"What...?"_

_"You of all people should remember...the power of my Ashisogi Jizou."_

_He turned his back on the young man, motioning to Nemu,_

_"Come Nemu... it's time we headed back."_

_"W-Wait...!"_

_Hayato coughed, pushing up off the ground slightly,_

_"W-We're not...finished here!"_

_"Oh?"_

_Mayuri scoffed, glancing back at him over his shoulder,_

_"I think it'd be best for you to go find that little wife of yours...your final words will mean a lot to her."_

_Coughing again, the chestnut-haired man cursed, closing his eyes tightly,_

_"You...you ba...you bas---"_

_"Ah ah ah. Consider this my final mercy, Hayato-kun. I could always just kill you now, you know..."_

_He then walked away, he and Nemu disappearing into the darkness..._

_----_

"I believe he crawled all the way back to that lovely little spot you and he shared, Ume-san. I trust you saw him?"

Ume dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she tightly grasped at her heart. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, his grip on Zangetsu tightening,

"You sick bastard...you were the one, huh? Who killed Ishida's grandfather?"

Mayuri smiled sickly at the orange-haired boy, his aura calm,

"And what if I am?"

Ichigo started forward, teeth gritted together tightly.

"Kurosaki!"

He stopped, lowering his sword a little as he glanced back at the raven-haired boy. Ishida narrowed his eyes, his body beginning to glow as he stepped forward,

"Stay back. This is my fight."

He then turned to Rukia, his eyes stern,

"Kuchiki-san...you, Kurosaki, and Sado-kun... take Obata-san and Inoue-san and get as far from here as you can. I don't want any of you involved."

Inoue straightened, standing slowly,

"Ishida-kun...?"

"Ishida, do you know what your sayin'? There's no way I'm leaving you to fight this guy alone!"

"It's not your decision to make, Kurosaki! I've made up my mind..."

He caught sight of Inoue out of the corner of his eye, and turned to the orange-haired boy, eyes narrowed,

"Now, get Inoue-san out of here, and don't look back..."

Her eyes widened as he turned to her, Rukia grabbing hold of her arm,

"...no matter what."

Scooping Ume up over his shoulder, Chad was the first to leave, followed by Rukia and Inoue. Inoue gasped, trying to get as many glimpses of the boy as she could as they drew further away,

"Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun!!"

Ichigo left last, turning back one final time,

"Ishida."

The raven-haired boy turned to him silently. Ichigo smirked at him, jabbing his index at him,

"If you go down...I'm kickin' your ass!"

Ishida smiled at that, turning back to Mayuri as the boy disappeared,

"Now. Shall we?"

Mayuri grinned, his reiatsu rising,

"I was just about to ask the same question."

ø

Inoue gasped as they reached the top of the hill, coughing loudly,

"Ishida-kun!! We can't just leave him there! We have to help him!"

Rukia shook her head, her face stern,

"No, Inoue. We can't--"

"And why not!?"

The girl screamed, her eyes filling with tears,

"That man...we met him before in Soul Society. Ishida-kun... he saved me from him... but he nearly died himself. We can't just let him fight that man alone! He'll be killed!"

"You..."

Inoue turned as Chad set Ume down, the dark-haired woman looking her deep in the eye,

"You're the Inoue-san that Uryuu-kun spoke so highly of... aren't you?"

The honey-haired girl blinked curiously, tears welling in her eyes,

"Ishida-kun...talked about me?"

Ume nodded, her expression saddening as she gazed back down the hill,

"How could it be...that the girl he loves so much has so little faith in him? Hmm?"

A brilliant flash erupted from where they had just come from, followed by another. Inoue straightened, strong gusts of wind whipping at her dampened locks,

"Ishida-kun..."

ø

"Give it up, boy! You'll never win!"

Mayuri shouted, slashing at the ever fleeting silhouette of Ishida. Landing high above him, Ishida aimed his arrows for the captain, narrowing his eyes,

"What makes you think I'd ever give in...after everything you've done!?"

He fired off a batch of arrows, Mayuri cleanly dodging them all. Ishida cursed, turning quickly to his left. There he stood, disgusting smirk on his painted face,

"You've gotten stronger, Quincy."

"No," Ishida quipped, aiming another arrow at the captain,

"You've just gotten weaker."

He fired again, Mayuri barely able to escape them. One seared straight through his leg, to which he growled,

"You'll pay for that...!"

"Oh, really?"

The raven-haired boy gracefully back flipped off of the building as Mayuri swung his zanpakutou, missing him by a mile. Smirking as he descended, Ishida raised his bow, aiming for the man's head.

"Cocky, aren't we, boy?"

His eyes widened as he realised that Mayuri had disappeared from the roof top, and he glanced back, eyes widening as Mayuri's blade tore through his skin.

ø

"Ishida-kun..."

Inoue whispered again, the storm clouds overhead accumulating. She straightened as she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. It was Ichigo. He smiled at her, his smile a confident one,

"Don't worry, Inoue. Ishida will be fine."

"How do you know?"

The boy sighed, glancing back out at the brilliant flashes before them,

"Because...he's a Quincy."

She lowered her head, her voice soft as she hiccuped,

"Thank you...Kurosaki-kun."

He watched her wipe her eyes, cursing softly to himself,

_'Dammit, Ishida. I swear, you'd better come back...'_

ø

_'Cause if you don't...I'll __**definitely**__ kick your ass!'_

Ishida let out a cry as he stumbled to the asphalt, pushing himself up slowly. The deep gash in his side threatened to freeze his right leg. Cursing, he shot Mayuri a deadly glare, the man simply laughing it off,

"What's wrong, boy? I thought you were stronger..."

He stood, drawing a new bow,

"I am."

"Then start acting like it!"

Drawing one of the meaty, plug chains from his head, Mayuri cackled,

"Or you'll die just like that worthless grandfather of yours!"

He hurled it at Ishida, who easily evaded it. He reappeared behind Mayuri, arrow aimed directly at the back of his head,

"What was that about my grandfather?"

"Very good," Mayuri grinned slyly,

"But you'll have to do better than that."

Mayuri's image dissipated right as he fired, drawing a curse from him,

"Damn!"

He glanced about furiously, eyes narrowed as the man's voice echoed through the night air,

"You see, Quincy...I've been watching you. Ever since you returned to that precious little home of yours. I watched how you trained with your father for the restoration of your powers. I saw your face when that raccoon-faced Kisuke told you your precious 'Inoue-san' had been taken away by that pathetic excuse for an ex-captain. And I anticipated this very moment as I watched you run away from home; tail between your legs like a cowardly dog."

Ishida straightened as he felt the man's hot breath hit his ear,

"And I've been waiting ever since that day...to kill you."

ø

Ume straightened as a string of flashes drove through her head. They were all of the raven-haired Quincy. Her voice soft, she fell to her knees, the final flash being that of Ishida's bloody corpse lying on the road,

"Uryuu-kun...oh no..."

Inoue straightened, looking to the woman in concern,

"What...What is it...?"

She turned to the honey-haired girl, tears streaming down her cheeks,

"Uryuu-kun...he's going to lose."

Ichigo gritted his teeth at that, cursing as Inoue burst into a run down the hill,

"Inoue! No!! Come back!"

He rushed after her; Rukia, Chad, and Ume in tow,

"Inoue!"

"Inoue-san!"

ø

Ishida quickly leaped away from him, spinning in the air as he drew his bow. He fired off more arrows, Mayuri blocking them with his plug-blade. He then slung the weapon at the boy, slicing him in the legs. Ishida stumbled as he landed, pushing himself up with a grunt,

"You..."

Mayuri just grinned and swung the chain around, sighing,

"It's a shame, really. If you weren't so stubborn, we could've have ended this peacefully. You would've made such an interesting specimen. Oh well, once you're gone, I suppose it will be easier for me to get to the girl..."

"You stay away from Inoue-san!"

Mayuri chuckled at that, his eyes gleaming mischievously,

"Touchy, aren't we? Ah, I see... that girl is your weakness."

Ishida deathly narrowed his sapphire eyes at him, his fist tightening around his bow.

ø

Inoue gasped for breath as she ran, the flashes growing brighter as she drew closer,

_'Ishida-kun...'_

Thunder bellowed overhead as her feet pushed off the concrete, the downpour suddenly resuming. Another brilliant flash and she gasped, shielding her eyes from it,

_'I won't...I won't let you die!!'_

ø

Ishida cursed as he tried to stand, his leg refusing to move,

_'Damn...'_

"Looks like you're out of options..._Quincy_."

He glanced up as Mayuri drew closer, teeth grinding together as he forced himself to stand. His leg screamed at him as he shuffled it forward, his entire body tense. Raising his arm, he drew another bow. Mayuri laughed at this, his toothy grin irking Ishida to the core,

"Don't you remember what I told you, boy? Back in Soul Society?"

He remained silent, drawing back an arrow. A sudden call from behind him caused him to hesitate, and he turned, his eyes widening in horror,

"Ishida-kun!!"

Tensing, he straightened, his heart stopping in his chest,

"Inoue-san..."

Sensing a shift in Mayuri's position, Ishida glanced back at his opponent, cursing,

_'Damn it!'_

Mayuri swung the plug chain as fast as he could, hurling it at Inoue. The honey-haired girl stopped, eyes wide as the blade flew straight for her. Ishida was unsure when exactly he started moving. All he knew was that he had and he was running straight for Inoue.

_'"Uryuu...one day you will know...you will know what it is that you truly want to protect."'_

_'I know, now, Sensei...what it is I want to protect...'_

He leapt in front of her, the plug chain wrapping itself around his arm. Mayuri yanked him back, Inoue screaming loudly as he was pulled forward,

"Ishida-kun!!"

He stumbled forward, his eyes widening as he felt the searing blade of Ashisogi rip through his abdomen. Ichigo cursed as he reached Inoue, readying Zangetsu,

"Ishida!"

He could hear Mayuri cackling in his ear, the man's single phrase echoing in his mind,

"I will live...and you will die."

Ishida raised his weakening gaze, narrowing his eyes,

"Is that...so?"

Grabbing hold of Ashisogi's blade, Ishida pulled himself further onto it, cursing as it seared straight through his spine. He coughed, a glob of blood flying from his lips. Mayuri straightened, the boy's sudden smirk confusing him,

"Wha-What the hell...?"

"You underestimated me...Kurotsuchi..."

From behind his back, Ishida drew a long, glowing blade, smiling,

"It's like you said...before. One's last ace in the hole...should only be used...after careful consideration."

Then, with a fierce cry, he pointed the blade upward, searing it through the captain's chin. Mayuri gagged, his eyes widening as his vision blackened,

"D...Damn you...Quincy."

A long throaty gurgle echoed through the air as the man staggered backward, Ishida falling from his blade. Inoue screamed, quickly running forward with tearful eyes,

"Ishida-kun!!"

He slammed back into her chest, both of them falling to the street. Ichigo and the others watched in sheer horror as Mayuri melted into a puddle of black and white goop, mechanical odds and ends twitching about in his residue.

Inoue gasped softly as the machines halted, her voice soft and trembling,

"Ishida-kun...?"

"It's...all right now... Inoue-san. He's dead now...he won't be able to hurt you...or anyone else...ever again."

Ume stepped toward the two of them, gasping softly,

"Oh, no...Uryuu-kun, no..."

Inoue hiccuped, her hands shaking violently as she raised them to her temples,

"A-Ayame...Shunou!"

Nothing. Again, she called out, her voice quivering,

"Ayame!! Shunou!!"

"Inoue-san..."

She glanced down at the boy in her arms, tears filling her eyes. He smiled,

"It's all right..."

The boy coughed harshly, blood spurting from his lips. Rain gently pattered on his lenses and he calmed, closing his eyes,

"Always raining..."

"Ishida-kun?"

He opened his eyes again, Inoue blurring in and out of focus. She hiccuped, roughly wiping her eyes,

"Why...why did you do that?"

Again, she gained a smile, though this one was more whistful than the last,

"I guess...I finally found...the one thing...that I wished to protect most..."

He winced, his teeth grinding as he tried to keep his smile,

"It's funny...I only wish...I would've realised it sooner..."

Biting her lip, Inoue gulped, her vision blurring with tears,

"Ishida-kun..."

One slid down her cheek and he smiled, weakly raising his hand to catch it. It landed on his finger tip and he sighed deeply, a lonely tear escaping his eye,

"I'm sorry...to have burdened you...Inoue-san. I only hope...you can forgive me."

She gasped as his hand fell, landing limply on the blood drenched asphalt beside him. His eyes began to fog, his smile growing wider as he whispered,

"If only...I'd realised it sooner..."

The honey-haired girl tensed, the boy's blood streaking down her arms and legs,

"I-Ishida-kun...!"

His eyelids fluttered shut, his final words inaudible over the loud, crackling thunder overhead,

"Inoue-san... I...I love...you."

His body loosened. Inoue gazed blankly at his pale, lifeless face, lightning flickering above them,

"Ishida-kun..."

Chad lowered his head as her mournful cries grew louder, the girl trying her hardest to rouse him,

"Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun, wake up!!"

Turning away from the sight, Rukia wrapped her arms around herself, swallowing harshly,

"Damn it...Ishida, no..."

"You idiot...get up!"

They all glanced over at Ichigo, who marched right over to the two of them. He grabbed Ishida by the collar of his shirt, shaking him harshly,

"I said, 'Get up'! Don't you remember what I told you!? I said if you died I'd kick your ass! So, if you don't want a beating, you'd better get up right now, dammit! I'm not foolin' around here!!"

Inoue gasped in horror as the orange-haired boy slammed Ishida in the face, tears streaming down her cheeks,

"Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun, stop!!"

"Get up! Now, c'mon!! I know you're tougher than this!! _Quincy_! C'mon!! Get up!!"

Rukia clenched her fists, running over to the boy as he continued the beating,

"Ichigo! Ichigo, stop it! That's enough!!"

"Dammit, Ishida! Open your fucking eyes!!"

He stopped as Rukia placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head,

"He's gone, Ichigo. Let it go..."

"Let it go...? LET IT GO!?"

He promptly dropped the boy back into Inoue's arm, and marched over to the pile of goo that had been Mayuri,

"I warned him... I told that bastard if he died, I'd..."

Halting mid-sentence, he clenched his fists tightly, raising Zangetsu high into the air. He slammed the sword repeatedly into the puddle, chooping up the left over machines that laid in the captain's wake,

"DAMMIT! DAMN YOU, ISHIDA!! YOU IDIOT!! You knew you couldn't take that guy alone! But you went and did it anyway..."

Ume fell to her knees, eyes wide as she gazed blankly at the sobbing girl,

"This...this can't be... not again. Uryuu-kun..."

Inoue sobbed violently, rain droplets dripping from her hair and clothes. She shook her head, burying her face in the lifeless boy's chest,

"Please..."

Hot tears streamed down her face, landing gently on his tattered, white shirt. She watched them soak in, blinking away more as her vision began to blur,

"Please...don't leave me...Ishida-kun."

* * *

**A/N: BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Erm. Sorry. I had to. øglances aroundø Why are you all surrounding me like that? ønervous laughterø Oh, God. I'm gonna die, aren't I? O.O;**


	9. Strength

Strength

_'"Please...don't leave me...Ishida-kun."'_

----

"Inoue, no! Come back!!"

Ume gasped softly as she snapped back to reality and pushed herself up off the ground. Her eyes widened as she watched Ichigo and the others chase after the honey-haired girl, a feeling of relief coursing through her,

_'It hasn't happened yet...!'_

She rushed after them, the rain stinging hard against her skin,

_'I have to hurry... there isn't much time! I can't let Uryuu-kun be killed!'_

ø

"You..."

Mayuri just grinned and swung the chain around, sighing,

"It's a shame, really. If you weren't so stubborn, we could've have ended this peacefully. You would've made such an interesting specimen. Oh well, once you're gone, I suppose it will be easier for me to get to the girl..."

"You stay away from Inoue-san!"

Ishida deathly narrowed his sapphire eyes at him, his fist tightening around his bow.

ø

The dark-haired woman heaved for breath as she sprinted down the slickery road, nearly slipping a few times,

_'Hayato...'_

She screamed as she fell, landed face first in a large puddle. Undeterred, she pushed herself up, continuing her pace,

_'No...I can't let it happen again... I can't let that girl face the same pain that I did!'_

She felt her throat tighten as the image of the chestnut-haired shinigami entered her mind, and she bit her lip, narrowing her eyes,

_'She deserves more than that...they both do! I can't let their futures be shattered!! Hayato...help me! Help me make it in time!'_

ø

Ishida cursed as he tried to stand, his leg refusing to move,

_'Damn...'_

"Looks like you're out of options..._Quincy_."

He glanced up as Mayuri drew closer, teeth grinding together as he forced himself to his feet. His leg screamed at him as he shuffled it forward, his entire body tense. Raising his arm, he drew another bow. Mayuri laughed at this, his toothy grin irking Ishida to the core,

"Don't you remember what I told you, boy? Back in Soul Society?"

He remained silent, drawing back an arrow. A sudden call from behind him caused him to hesitate, and he turned, his eyes widening in horror,

"Ishida-kun!!"

Tensing, he straightened, his heart stopping in his chest,

"Inoue-san..."

ø

Ume gasped for breath as she ran up behind Ichigo, her eyes widening. It was happening...those horrid events were unfolding before her. Mayuri cackled as he wound back, slinging the bladed chain directly at Inoue. Inoue stopped in her tracks, frozen. She glanced over at Ishida. First, his heel turned. Then, his whole body. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Taking a deep breath, Ume pushed passed Ichigo, speeding toward the honey-haired girl. Rukia gasped as she stepped out from behind the boy, eyes wide,

"Oh no!"

The dark-haired woman pushed herself faster, her heart racing as the blade steadily drew closer to Inoue,

_'I...I won't...I won't reach her in time!'_

_'"Ume..."'_

Her heart stopped,

_'H-Hayato...?'_

_'"Looks like you just need a little push is all."'_

At that moment, she could've sworn she felt his strong hands press against her back, and her eyes filled with tears, his cheery voice again reaching her ears,

_'"Alleyoop!"'_

Her feet left the ground as she flew toward Inoue, the girl glancing back as she cried out to her,

"Inoue!"

Inoue grunted as Ume slammed into her full force, the two of them falling to the ground. Ume quickly pushed herself up and glanced backward, her voice crackling as she screamed,

"Uryuu-kun, STOP!"

The boy skidded quickly to a halt, the chain whizzing past his face, just inches from his nose. It continued onward past Inoue and Ume, and the woman glanced over at the others, calling to them as well,

"You two! Get out of the way!"

Rukia gasped as she spotted the blade, pushing the orange-haired boy away from her as she jumped back,

"Move, you fool!"

Ichigo stumbled, his eyes wide as he spun around,

"Chad!"

The tanned boy refrained from any movement, instead grabbing the chain with his shield of a right arm. It tugged slightly, but Chad was not flung off his feet. Mayuri's eyes widened at this, and he cursed,

"What the hell--!?"

"Don't move, clown."

Glancing down, the man gritted his teeth, the tip of Ichigo's Zangetsu at his chin. He scowled at this, eyes widening as he felt Ishida's reiatsu appear right behind him. The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes, hand poised to fire an arrow into the back of Mayuri's head,

"Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand."

The masked captain smirked at this, a cheeky tone in his voice,

"Sorry. I don't have one."

Inoue blinked as she and Ume stood, hand at her heart,

"Ishida-kun..."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, his face tight as he spoke,

"You're one sick bastard, you know that? Killing all those innocent people. And for what? Your research? And then you even killed your own lieutenant just to cover it all up. Rukia. Tell me you didn't know about this..."

Rukia shook her head,

"If I had...this would've been dealt with years ago."

She stepped toward them, pulling out her phone,

"I'm making the report now. Just hold him there for a little longer."

"Don't worry. This guy ain't goin' anywhere."

Mayuri narrowed his eyes in disgust at the orange-haired boy, gritting his teeth,

"You make it sound as though I'm nothing but a weakling."

He then smiled, glancing back at the raven-haired boy behind him,

"You know, Quincy. I was just thinking about that day I killed Hayato-kun... what a worthless opponent he was. All he kept jabbering about was how it was wrong of me to dissect that senile grandfather of yours. How his family would have to live on without him and oh, how could I do it! But you know what? I'm not sure which was more entertaining. Listening to that decrepit, old man begging for his life, or cutting down that greenhorn lieutenant of mine as he fussed about how disgusting I was for having paid off our squad members to wait to rescue him. Personally, I think both gave me a good laugh!"

Shaking with anger, Ishida formed a sturdy bow, and quickly drew back an arrow. Inoue gasped as she caught the murderous look in the boy's eyes, Rukia cursing,

"Ishida! Don't be a fool! He's just trying to bait you! He's trying to make you lose your temper so that you'll kill him...and then you'll take the fall for his murder!"

"Kuchiki-san," he began, holding tight to the arrow in his left hand,

"I thank you for your concern...but I don't care!"

The honey-haired girl clasped her hands over her mouth as he continued, her heart racing fearfully,

"Even if they charge me...even if they put me to death! I'll do it...I'll do it so that he can never, ever hurt anyone again!!"

He narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper,

"Because people like him...don't deserve to walk upon this Earth."

Silence overcame them, the only sound in the area being that of rain pattering against the tin rooves nearby. Ichigo sighed, his eyes narrowing,

"Ishida... I understand how much you wanna take this guy out. But listen... before you do anything crazy, you should think about what it is that you're actually gonna do here. Yeah, you may kill him and get revenge for the death of your grandpa...but then what? Soul Society hauls you off to one of those nice little cells they put Rukia in...and then we have to bust our asses breaking through to save you! Personally, once was enough for me. And what about the rest of your friends? Remember them? Chad and Rukia, Inoue--?"

"You don't understand, Kurosaki...I'm doing this _for_ Inoue-san."

Inoue's eyes widened, her eyes filling with tears as he continued,

"I'm doing this...so that he can never harm her again. He's already said he wants to research her...and just now, he tried to end her life. So, it doesn't matter what happens to me in the process. Even if I am put to death, I want to protect Inoue-san for as long as I'm able. I don't know what I'd do...if something were to happen to her."

She lowered her head, squeezing her eyes shut,

_'"__If I were in love with someone,__I wouldn't hesitate. I'd tell them right away...and not let a moment with them slip through my fingers__."_

Her eyes widened at that and she gasped glancing up at the boy,

_'Ishida-kun...if he were...if he were taken away...if he were to be put to death in Soul Society...I...I couldn't...'_

"Ishida-kun, please stop!!"

The raven-haired Quincy straightened, looking over Mayuri's shoulder at the honey-haired girl. She shook her head, fists clenched tightly near her heart,

"Don't kill him! Please Ishida-kun!! I know you're upset...and I know you want to do what's right for everyone! But killing that man isn't the answer! Please! He's a bad person, that's true, and he's committed a lot of crimes... but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be given a second chance! Let Soul Society deal with him, Ishida-kun! Because I don't want... I don't want you to be killed."

She lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fell to her knees,

"I don't want to lose you..."

Ishida straightened, the fierce look in his eyes softening,

"Inoue-san..."

After a moment, he lowered his arrow, dematerialising the bow,

"Kuchiki-san?"

She looked to the boy, a slight smile on her face,

"Yes?"

"I hate to ask this of you...but do you think..."

He took a deep breath, his fists shaking at his sides,

"...do you think you and Kurosaki can handle him...until your squad comes?"

She nodded, placing her phone back in her robes,

"I think we can handle him just fine."

Ishida stepped back from Mayuri then, his eyes locked on his feet. Inoue smiled, wiping her tears away as she watched him lower his arrow,

"Thank you...Ishida-kun."

Suddenly, a loud cackle erupted from Mayuri, and they all tensed, Rukia beginning to draw Sode no Shirayuki from her belt. The paint-faced man grinned, looking down at Ichigo with a mischievous twinkle in his eye,

"Well, well... it seems you've forgotten something... isn't that right, Quincy?"

Ishida narrowed his eyes, tensing as Mayuri began to sizzle.

Suddenly, the plug on the side of his head snapped off, falling to the ground in a twitching, bubbling mess. Ume gasped, another vision flashing before her,

"Both of you get away from him, now!"

She was too late, however.

With Ashisogi firm in hand, Mayuri knocked Zangetsu away from him, slashing Ichigo across the chest in the process. The orange-haired boy grunted as he flew backward, blood flying from his lips. Inoue's eyes widened as he fell, landing flat on the concrete. He ceased movement. Rukia cursed, drawing her zanpakutou,

"Ichigo!"

She ran forward, eyes widening as he tossed a small, square object behind him. He smirked then, Ishida's eyes widening fearfully as he snickered,

"I hope you've said all you wished to say to them...Quincy."

He pressed his thumb down onto the hilt of his zanpakutou, the raven-haired boy's eyes meeting with Inoue's,

"Inoue-san..."

His heart stopped then, everything behind Mayuri erupting into flames. He fell to his knees, frozen. Mayuri cackled, glancing back at the blazing inferno,

"Well, now...how did that happen?"

Ishida stared blankly at it, sadness and rage welling within him. But even with his anger rising, he couldn't bring himself to rise. The masked captain stepped right up to the boy, glaring down at him with disgust,

"Nothing? I'm surprised. All of your friends are now burning corpses and you don't even lift a finger..."

The boy remained silent. Raising Ashisogi into the air, Mayuri sneered,

"How pathetic. I suppose I'll just have to end this, then. Using my bankai on you as you are now would be a complete waste of my time, I'm afraid..."

Ishida showed no signs of moving. He brought it down upon the boy's head, beginning to cackle. Suddenly, however, it hit a brilliant, orange barrier and stopped, Mayuri frowning in confusion,

"What?"

"Don't you dare hurt Ishida-kun!"

Ishida's eyes widened as he heard the voice, and he glanced up. As the smoke cleared, he spotted her, fingertips at her temples. His mouth fell open, speechless,

"I...Inoue-san..."

More smoke cleared and he could see all of them, Rukia, Ichigo, Ume, and even Chad, safe and sound behind her. Inoue scowled as Mayuri turned to her, smiling,

"Impressive... little girl."

Her eyes narrowed as he started toward her, Ishida tensing as he snapped back to reality,

"I-Inoue-san! Run away!"

Trying to rise, he cursed, glancing down to see shreds of white thread all around him,

_'The ransoutengai...because my resolve was shattered, it broke.'_

He turned his eyes back to Inoue, cursing as he tried to rebuild it,

_'I won't make it in time...'_

Mayuri chuckled as he kept his pace, holding out a hand to her,

"Like I've told you before, little girl, your powers are very impressive. My offer still stands, you know. I'll even shorten the period of mechanical experimentation to 3 hours. What do you say? As I said before, I'm gentle with females..."

Inoue's eyes hardened at that, and an expression crossed her face that Ishida had never seen before. He'd never seen her so...angry.

"Tsubaki!"

She cried out. From her hairpin flew a brilliant beam of purple, directly at Mayuri. The masked captain scoffed at it, raising Ashisogi to cut it down,

"Foolish."

He stopped suddenly as the beam disappeared, frowning,

"What the...? Where did it--?!"

"Now, Tsubaki!"

Her eyes then narrowed further, and she rasped harshly,

"And make sure you get them both..."

Mayuri frowned at this, eyes widening as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist. He glanced down, one-by-one his hands flying clean off his body. He cried out in agony, falling to his knees,

"You... YOU LITTLE BITCH!!"

Inoue calmly called Tsubaki back to her, straightening,

"When the bomb went off, I called Hinagiku, Baigon, and Lily to protect us from it. Then Ume-san told me...she said you were going to kill Ishida-kun, so I sent them to protect him. She also told me that if you could no longer use your hands, you'd be as helpless as a newborn kitten. You should be thankful to her. If she hadn't told me that, I would've told Tsubaki to aim for your head."

Ishida's eyes widened at her words, the last of his ransoutengai threads tightening around his arms,

"I-Inoue-san...!"

Mayuri cursed, narrowing his eyes at her,

"Is that so...? I wouldn't have pegged you for the murderous type..."

She deepened her glare at him, her words harsh and deadly,

"Normally, I wouldn't want to hurt anybody. But you threatened Ishida-kun...and you hurt Kurosaki-kun! Not to mention everything else that you've done. You've hurt so many people. Ume-san, Ishida-kun... and who knows how many others! Frankly... this

_little bitch_ is tired of you."

Rukia blinked in surprise at the girl's words, straightening as she heard a call from behind her,

"Rukia!"

She turned, relieved to see a red-headed pineapple running toward them,

"Renji..."

Renji frowned as he reached them, turning his glancing about,

"I received orders from the captain to come and assist you. What's going on?"

His eyes set on Mayuri and he raised an eyebrow,

"Isn't that...?"

"Yes. It's Twelfth Division's captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

"What the hell is he doing here?"

The petite shinigami scowled, narrowing her eyes at the masked captain,

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself."

"What did I...?"

Inoue gasped softly, her whole body beginning to tremble,

"What did I do...?"

She fell to her knees, hugging herself tightly. Ishida straightened, running around the writhing Mayuri and to her side,

"Inoue-san!"

He knelt down beside her, tense,

"Inoue-san?"

Her shoulders shuddered as she choked back sobs, her grip tightening on her sleeves,

"I...I..."

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand to see her this way. He lowered his head,

_'A girl like her...'_

Unconsciously, he placed a hand on her shoulder,

_'...should never have to hurt like this.'_

He pulled her to him, cradling her in his arms,

"You saved me...Inoue-san."

Her eyes were wide as she blinked, tears falling down her cheeks. She relaxed some as his hold stayed strong, and she closed her eyes, grabbing a hold of his shirt as she sobbed. He smiled slightly, running a hand over her hair,

"Thank you."

Ume smiled as she watched them, sighing in relief,

_'It's all over...everything...'_

She placed a hand on her heart, her gaze lowering to the damp asphalt.

_'"Alleyoop!"'_

_'Was it you...Hayato? Were you the one who helped me back there?'_

Her eyes widened suddenly as blood trickled into her view, pooling all around her. As she raised her gaze, she nearly screamed. They were dead. All of them. Right before her eyes. Each one skewered upon a different blade. And she herself was among them. Shaking the vision from her head, Ume quickly grabbing Ishida's attention,

"Uryuu-kun! Uryuu-kun!"

He glanced up, frowning in concern,

"What is it, Obata-san?"

"This isn't over yet...Quincy."

Gasping, he glanced over at Mayuri, who was slowly rising to his feet. Inoue gasped, Ishida standing and stepping protectively in front of her. Rukia cursed, both she and Renji drawing their swords,

"Don't move, Kurotsuchi!"

Mayuri cackled, his body beginning to shiver and shake,

"It seems...you all have...forgotten just who it is you are dealing with. I AM KUROTSUCHI MAYURI! CAPTAIN OF TWELFTH DIVISION AND 2ND PRESIDENT OF THE SHINIGAMI RESEARCH INSTITUTE!!"

His right wrist began to bubble, and slowly but surely, a brand new hand developed where there had once been none. He quickly picked up his zanpakutou, leaping backward from them,

"I only need one...to kill you all."

The ground began to rumble underneath them, and Ishida cursed, drawing a bow. He fired it, but it dissipated before it even reached Kurotsuchi. Mayuri continued to cackle, his body glowing a brilliant crimson,

"Ban...kai."

* * *

**A/N: So, was watching Bleach on Adult Swim this past weekend and MAN! Derek Stephen Prince (Ishida's voice actor) is...WOW. He left me speechless! He was soooo amazingly good! I was shocked. XD Of course the Japanese version is still better, but man...he's one of the best in the show by far (besides Vic and Johnny). And on another note, the guy playing Mayuri is a RIOT. I luff him. XD **

**Anyway, there's probably about one or two chapters left in this now(I'm going for one, but it might surprise me). R&R Please! Luffles to all.  
**


	10. Home

Home

"Ban...kai."

Ume gasped softly, watching in silence as Mayuri's zanpakutou began to twist and turn,

_'Why...why is this happening??'_

_----_

**I've been able to see the future...for as long as I can remember...**

_A tiny girl in pigtails and a pink dress gasped softly as she and her mother reached the crosswalk. She spotted a boy on a bicycle coming towards them. The light hadn't yet changed for them. Her mother sighed, shaking her head,_

_"Teenagers...thinking they can do anything."_

_"He's going to get hit."_

_She glanced down at the tiny girl, smiling,_

_"Well, I'm glad you know not to do anything dangerous like that, Ume."_

_"No. He's really going to--"_

_The woman gasped, pulling Ume back from the curb as she heard the sound of tires screeching. A bright red Camaro swerved, the driver trying hard to avoid the bicycler. It was too late, however. Bouncing off the side of the Camaro, the bicycler went flying into the middle of the intersection. Ume's mother screamed, calling for others to go assist him,_

_"Someone call an ambulance!! Somebody...!"_

_"It's too late for that, Mommy."_

_Glancing down in horror at the little girl, she swallowed hard,_

_"Wha-What did you say?"_

_Ume gazed at the bicycler, who stood just a few feet away from his body. A severed chain dangled from his chest, a chain similar to the one she'd seen hanging from her father's two years ago. He had died when she was only three, and the image of his spirit standing behind her mother at the funeral was her very first memory._

**So why...?**

_"Can I go play with them, Mama??"_

_Yuri pleaded, tugging at her clothes. She smiled, nodding shortly,_

_"Just be careful, all right? And wait for me when you reach the street. I don't want you crossing by yourself."_

_"Okay!!"_

_She smiled as she watched the boy toddle up the steps after his friends. They were on their way home from a birthday party that afternoon, and Jicchi, Yuri's best friend, had asked her if Yuri could come over to their hotel and play for a little while longer. _

_She'd agreed, of course, knowing how much Yuri missed the boy since they'd moved here from Osaka two years ago. Apparently, switching houses for a year had not been enough to keep Kurotsuchi and his dogs from finding them. Tired of narrowly escaping his sudden visits, she decided to pack up and leave Osaka for good. Yuri protested, but there wasn't much choice. If they hadn't left, they would've been killed. So far, she had been able to keep them off the radar. But she often wondered...for how much longer would this last?_

_Her eyes widened as she reached the top of the steps. She screamed in horror. Yuri was out in the middle of the street, a gigantic semi-truck barrelling down the road toward him. She ran forward, and the vision of a young man leaping out into the road to save the boy came into her mind. Gasping she began to step out,_

_'If I don't do something, they'll both be killed. I have to save Yuri!'_

_"YURI!!"_

_She suddenly flew backward, eyes widening as she spotted the young man from her vision dashing out into the road,_

_'NO!!'_

_"YURI!"_

_She watched in horror as the semi screeched to a halt, surely crushing them both under its weight,_

_"YURI!!" _

_As the truck started again, she gasped, spotting them across the road,_

_'How...?'_

_The boy let Yuri down, making sure that no cars were coming before the little tyke ran back to her._

**Why is it...that I'm resigned to stand back and watch!!? **

_"St-Stay with me, Hayato...!"_

_He smiled at that, coughing again as he leaned his head back,_

_"Ume...don't..."_

_"No! I'm not losing you!!"_

_He smiled wistfully, his voic__e__ barely a whisper,_

_"You know...I'm sure you could still fit in it if you tried...that little lime bikini...I bet you'd still be a knock out in it..."_

_His body loosened, his lips barely able to form his last words. His voice was so soft that it could no longer be heard, but she knew what he'd said,_

_"I love you."_

**And when I finally am able to do something...when I finally stop it...**

_"Inoue!"_

_Inoue grunted as Ume slammed into her full force, the two of them falling to the ground. Ume quickly pushed herself up and glanced backward, her voice crackling as she screamed,_

_"Uryuu-kun, STOP!"_

_The boy skidded quickly to a halt, the chain whizzing past his face, just inches from his nose._

----

She gasped, gazing at the horrific height of Mayuri's bankai,

_'...it only gets worse.'_

Ichigo glanced up from where he lay on the street, eyes wide as he stared at it,

"Wh...What the hell is that thing!?"

"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou."

He rolled his head to the side, blinking as Ishida continued,

"I faced it once before...back in Soul Society."

----

**The battle almost killed me...**

_He frowned as the area around him began to glow red, and the tiny mouth on Ashisogi opened, emitting somesort of eerie yell. Glancing around, he tensed, clenching his fist tightly,_

_'What is this...? Ban-what?'_

_Suddenly, the sword began to twist, and it exploded into the gigantic formation of a baby's head with a silver halo. He stepped back, heart racing. Mayuri cackled. _

_"Attack!"_

_The giant baby-caterpillar rushed forward, several swords protruding from under it's chin. Ishida cursed, drawing a final arrow that split the transformed sword clean in two._

**...but in the end, I won.**

_He fell against the rocky wall, cursing softly,_

_'The ransoutengai is fading away. Damn... I guess this means...my time...as a Quincy...is finally near the end.'_

_Pushing away from it, he staggered onward toward a high staircase,_

_'Inoue-san, I...-- no... She of all people should be fine...'_

_----_

He cursed, spotting the purplish smoke pillowing from the baby's mouth,

_'Damn...the poison!'_

"Sado-kun! Abarai! Gather everyone up and get them out of here! I'll take care of this!"

Renji cursed, drawing his zanpakutou,

"Are you insane!? That's suicide!!"

"You trusted me then, Abarai. Don't tell me you've forgotten."

Renji straightened, images of the battle they had endured against Grantz in Hueco Mundo flashing through his mind,

"Yeah, but that was different. We didn't have any choice--"

"And you think we have one now?"

He glanced back at the red head, a set look in his eyes,

"Go."

Cursing, Renji grabbed Ume by the wrist, yanking her up off the ground,

"Rukia!"

The petite shinigami nodded, running forward to get Inoue as Chad hoisted Ichigo over his shoulder,

"Inoue--!"

"No!"

She grabbed hold of Ishida, shaking her head,

"I'm not going!! I won't leave you here alone!"

"Inoue-san."

She gasped, glancing up at him with teary eyes. He returned her look, his hard gaze softening only slightly,

"This is no place for you to be. You'll only be a distraction. Please... if you want to help me. You'll go."

The honey-haired girl straightened, reluctantly stepping back from him. Rukia took the opportunity to grab her wrist, dragging her back down the road.

Ishida straightened, drawing back an arrow,

"Get as far from here as you possibly can, and don't stop for any reason--!!"

"You really think it'll do them any good...Quincy?"

A loud roar suddenly echoed throughout the area, and the raven-haired boy glanced back, cursing,

"Hollows!?"

"I suppose you could call them that, yes..."

He glanced back at Mayuri, gritting his teeth,

"What...?"

"These 'hollows' you are seeing now are all creations of mine. A customised gigai joined with a modified soul...much like my Nemu. I suppose you could say, these are her siblings. I use them to study hollow, and also to train my squad members for battle."

ø

Rukia cursed, motioning to Inoue as she drew her zanpakutou,

"Stay behind me."

Inoue nodded, stepping back a little as she placed her fingertips to her hair pins. She glanced back at the raven-haired boy a few feet behind her,

"Ishida-kun..."

Renji cursed as he drew Zabimaru, narrowing his eyes,

"How many of them would you say there were, Rukia?"

"Hmm...maybe 1500."

"Do you think we can take 'em?"

"You'll lose if you try."

They both glanced back Ume, the woman lowering her head,

"I've already seen it..."

Renji straightened, blinking curiously,

"A clairvoyant?"

She nodded shortly. Inoue straightened, swallowing harshly,

"Ume-san...if you know what's going to happen...please, tell us! Maybe we can stop it!"

"It would be no use."

She turned in the direction of Mayuri's bankai, eyes narrowing,

"In a few seconds...it will all be over."

The honey-haired girl straightened, turning her gaze to Ishida as Rukia and Renji prepared for battle.

ø

"Looks like your time is up Quincy...You should've run when you had the chance!"

"I thought running was your department,_ Kurotsuchi_."

Mayuri snarled, sweeping his palm outward in an arc,

"Begin your assault, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou! KILL THEM!"

Ashisogi reared back, taking in a heap of purple smoke with one deep breath. Ishida's eyes widened at this, and he called back to the others,

"Everyone, hold your breath! No matter what, don't breath that stuff in! Because if you do, you'll die!!"

Inoue gasped as it released the purple smoke, the cloud surging down the street. Quickly, she halted her breathing, the smoke breezing past her.

Mayuri cackled, minutes passing as the purple fog settled in around them,

"And what do you intend to do now, Quincy? They can't possibly hold in their breath forever...and neither can you! Give up! Admit that you've lost, and perhaps I'll make you a specimen..."

Ishida cursed, his vision beginning to blur,

_'He's right...and can't hold my breath for much longer...'_

He glanced back, almost finding humour in Inoue's bluing face. Her puffed out cheeks almost reminded him of a chipmunk...perhaps this was not the route his thoughts should be taking. He turned back to Mayuri, drawing his bow silently. His vision was constantly blurring on him. He couldn't hold back any longer. Cursing mentally at himself, he let the air out of his lungs, quickly drawing a bow,

_'No other choice...I have to fire now...before I breathe in the poison!'_

"I win. Boy."

Ishida cursed, weakly firing an arrow at the masked captain. He fell to his knees, eyes wide as he refused to take in a breath,

_'I can't...if I do...I'll...'_

He straightened, a strange wind blowing in from behind him. It was a cool wind, like the winds one feels in autumn. It lifted the purple haze, and Ishida gasped in air, rising to his feet,

"What...?"

_"Burst into life...Akihanazen!"_

The boy's eyes widened as the cold winds rushed passed him, and the ethereal image of a chestnut-haired shinigami appeared before him. He held a large scythe in his grasp, strong winds surrounding his body. Mayuri's eyes widened at the sight of him,

"No...it's not possible. I killed you!! You're supposed to be dead!!"

Ume's eyes widened, and she stood, hand at her heart,

"Hayato...?"

The man remained silent. Gritting his teeth in anger, Mayuri clenched his fist tightly,

"Kill them, Ashisogi! Don't leave one of them alive!!"

Cursing, Hayato crossed his arms over his chest, his body glowing a bright blue,

_"Bloom."_

Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from the scythe's blade, creating a dome around he, Mayuri, and Ishida. Mayuri cursed, as a series of vines climbed up from the earth, and he turned his sour gaze to the shinigami. Ashisogi began to move forward, and the glowing man glanced back at Ishida,

_"Now's your chance, Quincy! Fire!"_

Ishida straightened, quickly drawing a bow as he rose to his feet. Narrowing his eyes, he fired with all his might. The arrow soared searing Ashisogi clean in half, just as it had before. The caterpillar-like body of the zanpakutou exploded in spectacular brilliance, shattering the dome that surrounded them. Ishida's eyes widened. The last thing he saw before being enveloped in white was that of Mayuri's head being torn in two by his arrow,

_'I did it...I did it... Sensei...'_

He fell backward into the light, his eyes fluttering closed,

_'I finally...'_

_'"Ishida-kun!!"'_

-ø_**One Week Later**_ø-

"IIIIIIICHIIIIIIGO--!!"

The orange-haired boy held out his fist, the dumb-witted Keigo slamming into it head on. As the boy slid to the floor, Ichigo sighed, shaking out his hand,

"How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"S-Sorry..."

He sighed again, taking his seat beside Rukia. Glancing toward the window, he lowered his head,

"No Inoue, again...huh?"

The petite shinigami beside him shook her head, flipping calmly through her book,

"No."

An exasperated sigh sounded nearby and Ichigo glanced up, raising an eyebrow as he watched Chizuru stagger across the room,

"'Hime...! She's not here again! I hope nothing's happened to her! Oh, I'm so worried...!"

"Chizuru, what the hell are you doing?"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow ath the girl, folding her arms as she watched her nuzzle Inoue's desk. Chizuru sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief,

"I'm worrying over my precious Orihime! She hasn't been here in over a week! I'm afraid something might've..."

The girl then scowled, coming right up into Tatsuki's face,

"Hey! Wait a minute! You're her best friend! Surely you know where she is! Spill it, Arisawa! Where's my 'Hime?"

The raven-haired girl sighed, turning her gaze to the empty chair toward the head of the room. She sighed deeply, eyes downcast,

_'Orihime...'_

ø

The phone rang in an empty apartment, a cheery message clicking on after about five or so rings,

**"Hey, this is Orihime! I can't come to the phone right now because I'm probably doing something very important...or I'm just being lazy! Hee! Leave a message please! And I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks!"**

"Hello, Inoue-san? This is Ume. You know, Uryuu's friend? Well, anyway. How are you? I was just calling to check up on you. You seemed troubled when you left here. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Call me if you need to talk. You have my number. Bye!"

ø

Ume sighed as she set the phone down, heading back over to the stove. She gazed into the pot of water before her, smiling slightly,

_'"Ishida-kun!!"'_

_--One Week Ago--_

_Inoue screamed frantically as she ran to the boy, catching him in her arms as he fell backward. She shook him violently, tears streaming down her cheeks,_

_"Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun!!"_

"Don't worry."

_She glanced up at the ethereal shinigami as he knelt down beside them, placing a hand on the boy's forehead,_

"He's just tired, is all. Let him rest a while and he'll be fine."

_The honey-haired girl nodded, glancing back down at the boy in her arms,_

_"O-Okay..."_

_The chestnut-haired man smiled, straightening at the sound of her voice,_

_"Hayato."_

_He stood slowly, smiling as he turned to face her,_

"Ume."

_She stepped closer to him, reaching a hand up to touch his face. It went right through. He smiled sadly,_

"Sorry..."

_She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes,_

_"No, you don't have to be sorry...I should've known..."_

_He sighed deeply, cocking his head to the side,_

_"So...how've you and Yuri been--?"_

_"Miserable!"_

_She cried, bursting into tears as she raised her gaze to look at him,_

_"Ever since...ever since that day... there hasn't been a single moment... a single moment where I've thought about how I could've stopped it! How I could've saved you...! I can't stop thinking about it. I should've been there! I should've been able to save you..."_

_He shook his head, tracing the tear trail on her cheek with his index finger,_

"No...Ume, none of this was your fault. I went after Kurotsuchi because it was what I wanted. I wanted to make him pay for the terrible things he did...and the things he was planning to do. I wasn't going to allow him to hurt you or Yuri...even if it cost me my life."

_She lowered her gaze from him, and he turned to Rukia,_

"You know how to perform a konsou, do you not?"

_Rukia blinked, nodding shortly,_

_"Yes, I do."_

_Hayato smiled at that, placing one hand behind his head,_

"That's great! I've been itchin' for a konsou for 3 years now! I think I might go hollow if I wait any longer."

_Ichigo's jaw dropped at the jovial tone in the man's voice, especially considering the state he was in. No sane person, or shinigami for that matter, was supposed to joke about becoming a hollow. Hayato laughed, placing both fists on his hips,_

"So, do you think you can help me out?"

_She nodded, preparing her zanpakutou,_

_"Kneel, please."_

_He did as instructed, Ume stopping her,_

_"Wait, please!"_

_Hayato straightened, glancing up at her as she knelt down beside him,_

"Ume...?"

_"I love you!"_

_She shouted, wrapping her arms around his form. Her voice wavered and cracked as he watched her, teas streaming down her cheeks,_

_"I love you, Hayato...and I...I cherished ever day we spent together."_

_He smiled at her, his grin soon becoming mischievous,_

"You tried on the bikini, didn't you?"

_She blushed, pulling back from him with a clenched fist,_

_"NO!!! How many times do I have to tell you!!? If I put that thing on again, I'll look like a beached whale!!"_

_He laughed, lightly laying a hand on her head,_

"I'll miss you..."

_He then turned to Rukia, nodding shortly. Sighing deeply, she pressed the hilt of her zanpakutou to his head. With one last smile, he turned to Ume, a single tear streaming down his cheek,_

"Goodbye...Ume."

_She smiled back, wiping her tears away as he slowly dissipated, sailing into the sky as a small black butterfly,_

_"Goodbye."_

_Leaning far over, she began to sob, Rukia kneeling down beside her,_

_"Don't worry... he's in a better place, now."_

_Inoue gasped as she watched the woman's unceasing tears hit the pavement, tears welling in her eyes. She straightened when Ume softly called her name, blinking,_

_"Ume-san?"_

_The woman didn't even look up, her sobs breaking up her sentences,_

_"Inoue-san... hold onto him. Hold onto him as tightly as you can and never let him go..."_

_The honey-haired girl bit her lip, glancing down at Ishida silently._

_**"B-But, Ume-san!"**_

ø

_"I-I can't just--!"_

_"'Can't just' what?_

_Ume grinned, patting the girl on the shoulder,_

_"Just tell him how you feel! I'm sure he'll understand!"_

_"B-But I..."_

_"I know you're scared, but in this life you can't just sit around and wait for him to come to you. Uryuu-kun's not that type of boy..."_

_Inoue bit her lip, gasping as Ume spun her around and pushed her toward the subway car,_

_"Listen...just tell Uryuu-kun how you feel. And if you're not quite ready yet, get to know him a little better, but NEVER let him out of your sight. You never know when another girl could come along and swoop him out of your reach--"_

_"B-but Uryuu-k----I mean, Ishida-kun likes Kuchiki-san! Not me!!"_

_Ume stopped as the girl turned to her, bursting into a fit of laughter,_

_"Is that what you're thinking!? That Uryuu-kun will reject you because he's in love with Kuchiki-san?!"_

_Inoue sniffled, wiping her eyes,_

_"I-It's not funny!"_

_Ume smiled bringing the girl into a strong hug,_

_"Oh, you silly little thing. Just tell him how you feel. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised by his reaction."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_She nodded, turning the girl back for the train,_

_"Now go before the train leaves. And you have my number so call me when you and Uryuu-kun hook up, okay!"_

_Inoue lowered her head climbed on the train, her face burning,_

_"O-Okay..."_

_----_

ø

Inoue sighed as she stood outside the hospital, leaning back against the wall. She lowered her head, smiling slightly as she watched a tiny snail crawl across the ground. She leaned down, petting it's shell gently. She didn't even hear the sound of his footsteps walking up,

"Inoue-san?"

Jumping, she glanced up, smiling nervously as she spotted Ishida,

"I-Ishida-kun!"

ø

They walked through the park, Ishida raising an eyebrow at her,

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

She laughed a little, lightly tapping a fist on her palm,

"Um...Actually I haven't been in school for a couple days now. I've been feeling under the weather lately, so I haven't been able to go. In fact, I've not been able to get out of bed until today! Tatsuki-chan even told me that went I vomit, it's like the scene of a horror movie or something. Like I'm possessed by evil demons, and my head'll spin around in a full circle at any minute!"

She started to twist her neck around, mostly to hide the horrified look on her face,

_'Oh great...! Like he's going to buy that one!'_

Her neck then cracked and she jumped, rubbing it sorely,

"Owie..."

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, dragging her toward the hospital doors,

"W-W-Wait, Ishida-kun! Where are we going?"

He turned to her, a concerned look on his face,

"To get you checked out. You shouldn't be out of bed in your condition, Inoue-san! And just looking at how flushed your face is, I'd say you're fevers probably risen into the hundreds!"

He placed a hand on her forehead, then frowned,

"You don't feel hot."

Inoue stepped back from him, smiling sheepishly,

"W-We-Well, what I forgot to say is, I suddenly and miraculously feel better now! Yay, look at that! All better!"

She began doing arm curls to prove to him how much 'better' she felt. She then smiled, looking up to him curiously,

"Um...Ishida-kun. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You came out of the hospital didn't you? Were you hurt or something?"

He shook his head, sighing deeply,

"No."

"Then...?"

"I was visiting my father."

Inoue straightened, noting the look on his face with concern,

"Ishida-kun...?"

----

_"So, you decided to show your face here?"_

_Ishida remained silently. Ryuuken turned to him, frowning deeply,_

_"Well?"_

_Still silent._

_"I suppose promises mean nothing to you, then--"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_He straightened, glancing over his paper at the boy. Ishida swallowed harshly, his fists tightly clenched at his sides,_

_"I'm sorry, Ryuuken. But...that promise I made you...it was an impossible one for me to uphold."_

_"And why is that? I simply told you to stay away from shinigami. They aren't that difficult to spot."_

_"And I __**simply**__ couldn't just leave my friends to die."_

_He turned to leave, straightening as he heard a laugh from behind,_

_"So, you've finally realised it, then?"_

_Glancing back, he raised an eyebrow,_

_"Wh--?"_

_Ryuuken swiveled his chair around to face the window, sighing deeply,_

_"Nevermind. Just get out of my sight. And don't bother coming back here. A son that can't even obey his father's wishes...is no son of mine."_

_----_

Inoue sighed as they sat down on the front steps, wringing her hands about in her lap,

"I-I'm sorry Ishida-kun..."

He straightened, glancing down at her with a smile,

"You don't have to be sorry, Inoue-san. You didn't do anything--"

"You broke your promise because of me... if I hadn't been caught by Aizen, you wouldn't have had to break your promise to your father..."

He smiled slightly, straightening,

"I...I probably couldn't have kept it anyway..."

She glanced back at him, noticing the slight smile on his face. Blushing, she lowered her head, smiling as well,

"Thank you...Ishida-kun."

ø

Ryuuken sighed as he watched them walk on down the sidewalk. He almost felt like smiling. Almost. The boy had still broken his promise, and that was something Ryuuken could not easily forgive. But nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel proud. Ishida had finally figured out the reasonings behind his words. Even if it had taken some help from that old fool to help him realise it. He turned back around, going back to his paper. It looked like the stocks were going up in his favour today...

ø

Inoue smiled as they strolled beside the water, blushing as she glanced up at Ishida,

_'Today's the day. No more waiting...today, I'm going to tell Ishida-kun how I really feel!'_

Unconsciously, she took hold of his hand, causing the boy to jump,

"I-Inoue-san?"

She didn't seem to hear him. Sighing, he smiled, remaining silent. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing if they stayed that way a little longer. It was a nice feeling after all...to be wanted.

**--THE END--**

* * *

**A/N: Wow! I can finally say I'm finished with this story!! W00TZ! I'd like to thank everybody so much for taking their time to read this little thing! I appreciate your comments more than words can express. Some of them even made me fall out of my chair, cackling in sheer evilness for leaving cliffhangers here and there. lol Group hug!! øhuggleø And everyone gets a cookie!! Yay cookies:D  
**


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